Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 13) — A Senate bill has been filed to decriminalize libel, citing the conviction of journalists Frank Cimatu, Maria Ressa and Reynaldo Santos.
Senate Bill 1593 entitled Decriminalization of Libel Act noted how libel laws have been “weaponized” to suppress freedom of the press.
It seeks to repeal the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 and eight articles of the Revised Penal Code.
“Our libel laws have been used to constantly attack many of our freedoms, but particularly the freedom of the press. We need to decriminalize libel if we are to truly defend press freedom,” bill author Sen. Risa Hontiveros said on Monday.
The filing coincided with the conviction of Cimatu. He was found guilty of cyber libel by the Quezon City Regional Trial Court over a Facebook post against then Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol in 2017.
Hontiveros said the rise of social media as a “primary medium of communication” has intensified the weaponization of libel laws not only against the media but also the public.
“These journalists have wasted years of their lives facing charges for basically doing their jobs. Gamit na gamit na ang cyber libel para patahimikin ang ating mga mamamahayag,” Hontiveros said.
“Kung hindi natin maiwasto ito, patuloy na gagamitin ang libel para kitilin ang ating kalayaan,” she added.
[Translation: Cyber libel has been abused to silence our journalists… If we do not correct this, libel will continue to be used to take away our freedom.]
