COTABATO CITY (MindaNews / 14 December) – Former agriculture secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol lauded Wednesday the conviction of Baguio City-based journalist Frank Cimatu in a cyber libel case he f…
COTABATO CITY – Former agriculture secretary Emmanuel “Manny” Piñol lauded Wednesday the conviction of Baguio City-based journalist Frank Cimatu in a cyber libel case he filed against the latter, saying “it is not just a legal victory and vindication for me but a very important lesson on responsible and accountable journalism.”“Press freedom is not absolute,” Piñol, a former three-term governor of North Cotabato, said in a statement posted on his Facebook page.
The P21 million increase in his net worth, Piñol said, did not represent money but the value of “biological assets” he accumulated over the years through farming. The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines said it was saddened by the ruling of the local court for convicting Cimatu, noting it sees no malice in the newsman’s September 24, 2017 Facebook post.
NUJP reiterated its position that libel laws should be decriminalized, saying “these are not compatible with the Bill of Rights stated in the Philippine Constitution and with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, of which the Philippines is a state party.” “The cyber-libel conviction of journalist Frank Cimatu is extremely concerning and highlights the precariousness of freedom of expression in the Philippines,” Carlos Conde, HRW Philippines senior researcher, said in a statement.
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