Former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol considers as a “lesson” his victory in a cyber libel case he filed against a Baguio City-based reporter, adding that press freedom is “not absolute.”
Meanwhile, journalist Frank Cimatu said he would appeal the decision of the Quezon City court that found him guilty of cyber libel over a 2017 social media post he made about Piñol.
In a related development, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomed a move by opposition Senator Risa Hontiveros to file a bill decriminalizing libel.
Piñol said in a Facebook post that the Quezon City court’s ruling that Cimatu was guilty of cyber libel was a “very important lesson on responsible and accountable journalism.” to convict Cimatu over a 2017 post the latter made about him was a “vindication” and a “very important lesson on responsible and accountable journalism.”
“The purveyors of fake news who slander and shame people to the point of dishonoring them and destroying their lives must not be allowed to seek refuge behind a mantle called Press Freedom when called to account for the transgression they have committed,” said Piñol, himself a former journalist and sports commentator.
In a decision dated Dec. 12, the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 93 sentenced Cimatu to up to 5 years, 5 months, and 11 days in prison, plus P300,000 in moral damages to Piñol.
The case stemmed from Cimatu’s social media post that read, “Agri Sec got rich by 21 M in 6 months. Bird flu pa more.”
The court found the post defamatory because it imputed a crime, making it appear that Piñol was involved in corruption. Piñol said Cimatu’s post “was not only malicious, but also outright erroneous.”
In explaining the P21-million increase in his assets, Piñol said the amount in his net worth did not represent money but “the value of ‘Biological Assets’ I have accumulated through the years in my farm.”
“Hindi pera ang P21-M kundi halaga ng pananim at Manok Pinoy breeders na naparami ko at inilagay sa Tax Returns kasi nangutang ako ng P10-M sa Land Bank and this was before I was appointed as Agriculture Secretary,” he explained.
“In spite of the clarification and demand that the post be corrected, Cimatu was adamant and even ridiculed those who came to my defense calling them trolls,” Piñol added.
He was thus prompted him to file a cyber libel case against the journalist.
The former official also slammed the NUJP’s statement on the issue.
“The NUJP must also realize that ‘in a supposed democratic country’, the exercise of our rights is not absolute and that we are accountable for any transgression on and violation of the rights of others,” Piñol said.
“As an individual, it is my right to defend my honor because this is my legacy to my children and my grandchildren, a name untarnished by issues of corruption in public service.”
Hontiveros cited Cimatu’s case as an example in her move to decriminalize libel.
“Our libel laws have been weaponized to stifle very basic fundamental rights. These 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,” Hontiveros said.
Hontiveros filed her bill on the same day that journalist Frank Cimatu was convicted of cyber libel over a 2017 Facebook post about Piñol.
Cimatu clarified that while he was a fellow of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) at the time he made the post, and that he was not pursuing a story about Piñol.
“Iyon nga, dito nga magkakatalo kung journalist ba ako noong sinulat ko iyon… kasi it’s just a post eh,” Cimatu said.
He also said that posting jokes and satirical content on his personal Facebook profile was part of his personality.
“I don’t know why this was singled out,” he said.
Cimatu noted the chilling effect of Piñol’s cyber libel case, which may force other journalists and content creators to be wary of what they post online.
“Should I be very careful all the time? Eh hindi ko naman ugali iyong ganoon. I mean, this is my wall,” he said.
Despite the court ruling against him, Cimatu said he would continue his work as a journalist and keep posting humorous content on his Facebook account.
“They’re watching me—the trolls, so gawin ko na lang iyong trabaho ko… I’m still the same sarcastic, maybe funny (person)… I will keep on posting. Kasi mahirap iyon, iyong chilling effect,” he said.
NUJP president Jonathan de Santos cited a bill filed by Hontiveros seeking to decriminalize libel.
“At ano kasi siya, parang incompatible na ang libel or criminal libel sa mga, parang sa principles na pinanghahawakan natin bilang bansa na supposedly, democracy tayo. We have free speech pero meron tayong mga kasama sa, hindi lang sa industriya ‘no, mga kababayan nga nation na pwede silang makulong for, basically for their reporting, para sa kanilang freedom of expression ‘no so medyo harsh talaga siya,” he added.
“I think libel or criminal libel is incompatible with principles we hold as a country—supposedly we are a democracy, but we have countrymen who can be arrested for their reporting or their exercise of freedom of expression, so it’s a bit harsh,” Santos said.