The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld a decision by a Marikina Regional Trial Court (RTC) to proceed with a libel case and the issuance of arrest warrants against a minor and five other persons for alleged defamatory posts on a social networking site.
Journalists have no reason to fear Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act, government lawyers said Tuesday but justices of the Supreme Court are doubtful.
The provision under the Cybercrime Prevention Act which allows the prosecution of cyber libel and violation of the Revised Penal Code at the same time is “clearly infirm,” a justice of the Supreme Court said Tuesday.
Environmentalist Esperlita Garcia on Tuesday expressed alarm over what she described as possible attempts to intimidate her in her fight against mining and electronic libel.
Environmentalists and Internet users have rallied behind Esperlita “Perling” Garcia, an anti-mining advocate who was arrested on Thursday on libel charges for a purported critical post on Facebook in spite of the Supreme Court’s suspension of the cybercrime law.
The leader of an antimining group in Cagayan was arrested Thursday for posting an allegedly libelous account about a mining issue on her Facebook page in May last year.
With or without the cybercrime law, Internet users could still be charged with libel under the Revised Penal Code, Senate Majority Leader Vicente “Tito” Sotto III said on Tuesday.
Malacañang was unfazed by the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the Supreme Court against the implementation of the controversial cybercrime law, saying it was ‘provisional remedy,” and not a judgment on its merits.
President Benigno Aquino III on Friday defended a new cybercrime law amid a storm of protests from defenders of freedom of expression and opponents of libel as a criminal offense.
House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. is not keen on amending the Cybercrime Prevention Act despite snowballing protests even from senators who hitherto backed the measure despite the insertion of controversial provisions.
President Benigno Aquino III said Friday the provision on libel in the controversial Cybercrime Prevention Act should stay but left it to lawmakers to amend the provision on what penalty to impose on violators.
Just one click and a libelous content goes global.
The sponsor in the Senate of the Cybercrime Prevention Act wants Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to keep herself from blocking access to websites even if they are found to violate the provisions of the much-criticized law against Internet crimes.
