CHR says cyberlibel used to suppress press freedom

Baguio journalist’s conviction 

By Leander C. Domingo

EXPRESSING concern on how cyberlibel has been used to suppress press freedom, the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) said the conviction of a Baguio City-based journalist is the most recent case of a pattern of legal actions targeting critics of the government.
    Journalist Frank Cimatu was convicted of cyberlibel over charges filed by former Agriculture secretary Emmanuel "Manny" Piñol in 2017, for a reportedly libelous Facebook post in connection with the avian flu crisis.
    In a statement, the CHR also expressed concern about how cyberlibel has been used to threaten the right to free expression. It reminded the Philippine government that as a State party to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), it must protect the people's rights to freedom of opinion and expression.
    "When these rights are compromised, especially for journalists and critics, the government also cripples one of its informal feedback mechanisms that serve to inform and improve government policies and decisions," the CHR said.
    The CHR also urged legislators to process Senate Bill (SB) 1593, which seeks to decriminalize libel. It agrees that "libel laws have been used and abused by private parties to advance their various interests, and by public personalities to shield themselves from public scrutiny, even on matters of public concern."