Court convicts Baguio journalist Frank Cimatu of cyber libel

Baguio-based journalist Frank Cimatu shows a copy of a court order at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court on Friday, after attending the promulgation of judgment on the cyber-libel complaint filed against him by former agriculture secretary Manny Piñol.

The STAR / Michael Varcas

MANILA, Philippines (Updated 12:56 p.m.) — A Quezon City court on Tuesday convicted Baguio journalist Frank Cimatu of cyber libel over a Facebook post pertaining to former Agriculture Secretary Manny Piñol.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 93 sentenced Cimatu with imprisonment of six months and one day to five years, five months and 11 days and ordered him to pay Piñol P300,000 as moral damages.

“Following a painstaking review of the pieces of evidence presented by both parties, the Court finds that the evidence of the prosecution satisfies the test of moral certainty and is sufficient to support a conviction,” Acting Presiding Judge Evangeline Cabochan-Santos said in her 19-page decision.

Full Story: https://www.philstar.com/headlines/2022/12/13/2230568/court-convicts-baguio-journalist-frank-cimatu-cyber-libel