Maria Ressa faces 3rd cyber libel case, this time with reporter

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa is facing a third cyber libel case, this time with a reporter who wrote a story about a university official who allegedly accepted bribes from thesis students.

Prosecutors charged Ressa and Rappler reporter Rambo Talabong with cyber libel before the Manila Regional Trial Court on January 8. They are accused of ruining the reputation of a program chairperson at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (CSB) in a story published on January 23, 2020.

In his report, Talabong wrote about students in CSB's Export Management Program allegedly paying P20,000 to pass their class. The students in Talabong's article said they paid thesis coordinator Ariel Pineda through a middleman.

The university was investigating the case, according to the article. Talabong wrote that Pineda had been promoted to become the Export Management Program's chairperson.

Pineda did not respond to the allegations in the Rappler article despite repeated requests for comment, according to the report.

In the charge filed in court, a city prosecutor said parts of the article contained "false, malicious, derogatory and highly libelous imputation as well as offensive insinuations against the good name, character and reputation of the said Ariel D. Pineda."

The prosecutor said the article made it seem Pineda "is a corrupt professor or chairperson by passing thesis students for money, thereby exposing him, as in fact, he was exposed to dishonor, public contempt, discredit and ridicule."

Rappler lawyer and former Supreme Court spokesman Theodore Te said Ressa and Talabong had voluntarily surrendered and posted bail of P30,000 each after an arrest warrant was issued against them.

"We are studying the Resolution, which we disagree with, and will exhaust all possible legal remedies to have the same dismissed," Te said in a statement.

Te said it is "disturbing" that cyber libel now seems to be the "first option in case of disagreement on reporting."

"That is the problem with libel and cyberlibel laws which make these acts criminal – a private dispute becomes a public offense where the government gets involved; as a result, the implications on freedom of expression and of the press are significant," he said.

He suggested that Congress consider whether it is time to decriminalize libel and cyber libel.

Talabong and Rappler said they stand by the story.

"I spent weeks reporting and weeks more doing everything to ensure that the story is fair. This case further proves that decriminalizing libel is imperative. No journalist should be intimidated for doing their job," Talabong said.

Reiterating calls to decriminalize libel, Rappler said they know that such suits "are a tool that is used to intimidate journalists who expose wrongdoing."

Ressa was convicted in the first cyber libel case against her last June. The conviction was over an article by a former Rappler researcher that reported a businessman's alleged links to crime. They are appealing.

The veteran journalist faces a second case initiated by the same businessman, Wilfredo Keng, over her tweet containing screenshots of a newspaper article also reporting allegations of his connection to criminal activities.—LDF, GMA News