In a 19-page decision made public on Tuesday, the Quezon City Branch 93 ruled that Franklin Cimatu made defamatory comments against former Department of Agriculture secretary Emmanuel F. Piñol in the social media post. READ:
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“A cursory reading of the Facebook post would show the intention of the writer, herein accused Cimatu, to injure the reputation, credit and virtue of Piñol, who, at the time the Facebook post was published, was Secretary of Agriculture,” Presiding Judge Evangeline Cabochan-Santos said in the ruling. “We hope to craft the appeal before the year ends and will fight it out,” Mr. Cimatu, also an award-winning poet, told“As a journalist, I have always been for the decriminalization of libel especially when it is used to weaponize” he added.Senator Ana Theresia “Risa” N. Hontiveros-Baraquel, who filed a bill last week seeking to decriminalize libel, said existing laws “have been weaponized to stifle very basic fundamental rights.
“It is the job of reporters to share information for the public’s knowledge,” the senator said. “We need the press to vet information and continue to be the safekeepers of facts.” “Cimatu’s case is proof how government officials use libel as a weapon to harass and intimidate journalists.”
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