This was confirmed by Police Major Alphad Osalli, chief of Ungkaya Pukan Municipal Police Station (MPS), who said that the gun battle lasted until 2 pm, when the armed men withdrew toward an unknown direction.

This paved the way for the immediate evacuation of the displaced individuals in coordination with Municipal Social Welfare Development Officer Nursira Estajal together with Municipal Administrator Madznur Maturan.

Osalli said the internally displaced persons from barangays Materling, Bohe-Suyak, and Lower Ulitan were temporarily housed in Ma’ahad Darul Ulum before they proceeded to their respective relatives in the neighboring villages.

At around 2:30 pm, the patrol team was conducting a chokepoint operation at the crossing of Materling when the wounded rubber tapper identified as Aragon Sajid Abon, 38, was taken to the Ungkaya Pukan Rural Health Unit.

Authorities conducted a briefing at around 4 pm to harmonize the armed encounters, reduce casualties, avoid escalation of hostilities, and promote peace.

Early on, another group of unidentified armed men attacked a detachment of the Army’s Scout Rangers also in Ungkaya Pukan, as confirmed by Basilan Provincial Police Director Colonel Carlos Madronio. No casualty was reported. – Rappler.com

The petitioners accused BARMM interim Chief Minister Ahod “Al Haj Murad” Ebrahim of grave abuse of discretion, and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front-dominated Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA) of going beyond its jurisdiction when it approved the Bangsamoro Autonomy Act No. 35, otherwise known as the Bangsamoro Electoral Code.

They said the region’s new law was an encroachment on the functions of the Commission on Elections (Comelec) and the SC itself, and would adversely affect the welfare and interest of political parties, voters, and taxpayers in BARMM.

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The petitioners include the following: 

• Dimnatang Pansar
• Abdul Rashid Balindong
• Shariefuddin Lucman
• Aleem Alibasher Abdullatif
• Jamil Paisal Adiong
• Rafnanjani Pendatun Ali
• Mohajeran Balayman
• Najia Pescadera
• Sharif Jul Asiri Abirin
• Abdul Muhaimin Abuhara
• Mohammad Salmann Sakili
• Sarid Hataman
• Harisul Samanul
• Sukarno Asri
• Mohammad Yusof Tidal

The newly-formed Bangsamoro Governors Caucus (BGC) backed the petition that was submitted to the High Tribunal by lawyers Romulo Macalintal, Antonio Carlos Bautista, and Christopher Rodriguez.

The 64-page petition, which represents several local government officials, civil society, traders, and political leaders in the BARMM, sought an SC ruling to declare the regional law null and void.

The petitioners also asked the SC to issue a status quo ante order or a temporary restraining order against the implementation of the new law.

A status quo ante order is meant to restore a situation to how it was before a particular event or dispute – in this case before the law’s passage – until a final decision is reached.

The electoral code was enacted by the BARMM’s interim parliament on March 8 and took effect on May 17.

The petitioners asked the high court to immediately take action on the matter in light of the forthcoming political exercises in the country.

Speaking for the BGC, Lanao del Sur Governor Mamintal Adiong Jr. said the majority of the BARMM’s provincial governors support the petition but denied they meant to undermine the current leadership in the autonomous region.

“The move in seeking the intervention of the Supreme Court is to validate the constitutionality and legality of regional laws which will help strengthen the rule of law in the Bangsamoro region. We just want to put things in proper order as these may affect the future of the region,” Adiong said.

The BGC, organized in Cagayan de Oro earlier this month, is composed of governors Abdusakur Tan of Sulu, Mariam Sangki-Mangudadatu of Maguindanao del Sur, Ysmael Sali of Tawi-Tawi, and Hadjiman Hataman-Salliman of Basilan.

In December 2022, the five governors first questioned some provisions of the then-draft election code such as the powers bestowed on the then-proposed Bangsamoro Election Office (BEO), which they said surpassed the powers of the Comelec.

The petition also cited a provision in the BARMM’s new election law, which provided strict rules on the use of campaign funds, and partisan activities. 

In February, a month before the BTA approved the controversial code, a group of election experts and representatives of election watchdogs, warned that some provisions in the then-proposed law conflicted with the 1987 Constitution.

They suggested revisions in the then proposal, which is now the basis for the conduct of the elections in the BARMM. The region is scheduled to hold its first regional elections in 2025, two years after the barangay and youth elections set this October.

“The legislation of the electoral code must be pursued within the framework of the Constitution and national laws. Following the hierarchy of laws, the electoral code must be consistent, adherent, and compliant with the Constitution, national laws, and international law standards,” read part of their position paper early this year.

They questioned the provisions about an electoral tribunal, registration of political parties, the budget, and the powers of a regional electoral office to list and delist voters.

The experts had recommended the removal of the provision granting the Bangsamoro parliament’s electoral tribunal exclusive jurisdiction over election disputes, arguing that the Comelec should have sole authority instead. 

Instead, they had proposed empowering the BEO to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and make recommendations to the Comelec on petition decisions.

They had also recommended the removal of a provision granting exclusive jurisdiction to a regional electoral tribunal to handle election disputes, arguing that the Constitution has mandated the Comelec to perform such a task. 

They had proposed empowering the electoral office to conduct recounts, oversee hearings, and provide recommendations to the Comelec regarding petition decisions instead.

Concerns had also been raised about a provision in the then-draft code granting the Bangsamoro Electoral Commission the authority to approve the registration and dissolution of political parties, citing potential constitutional issues. 

The experts had recommended treating the office as the reception and screening committee for party registrations under the supervision of the Comelec. They said it should have limited powers over party dissolution petitions that require final approval or reversal by the Comelec.

Experts had called for the removal of a provision in the proposed code that grants the BEO the authority to investigate voter list anomalies and delist voters, as they argued that such matters should be decided by courts, not the BEO. 

They pointed out that courts already have exclusive jurisdiction over voter list cases in their respective areas. 

The group of experts had also recommended revising the code’s budget provision to ensure any supplemental budget for the BEO goes through the Comelec first, as it potentially conflicts with the Comelec’s status as an independent constitutional commission.

The experts who came up with the position paper included former elections commissioner Luie Guia, former justice secretary Al Agra, former interior undersecretary Jonathan Malaya, former interior chief Anwar Malang of the now-defunct Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), and former Masbate governor Vicente Homer Revi, among others. – Rappler.com

“Our view on this is that it was merely an act of harassment. It wasn’t [an act of terrorism] because the explosive device was planted at the back of the car,” said Colonel Alberto Lupaz, the chief of the Davao City Police Office (DCPO).

A lawyer’s Honda CRV parked outside a law office at One Oasis Condominium Ecoland exploded within five minutes after the two persons left an object under the vehicle. 

The police obtained CCTV footage and described the suspects as being in their twenties.

The car’s rear windshield was damaged, but no one was hurt.

Lawyer Alberto Magulta, the owner of the car, reportedly received threats due to”high-profile cases” he has been handling in the Soccsksargen region.

The case remains under investigation. The DCPO’s crime scene investigators have started collecting fragments to determine the type of improvised explosive device used in the bombing.

Lupaz said the explosion prompted the police to make security adjustments, especially since the bomb attack was made in broad daylight.

Meanwhile, Task Force Davao head Colonel Darren Cornia said they have tightened security in the city and set up more checkpoints at the city borders.

“TF-Davao plans to strengthen the city’s culture of security,” Cornia said. – Rappler.com

Lucelle Bonzo is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.

According to the military, the Egyptian boy had been a member of the notorious Abu Sayyaf, an extremist organization linked to international terrorist networks such as Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). The group is known for its extremist ideology and involvement in criminal activities including kidnappings, bombings, and attacks, primarily in the Sulu archipelago and Basilan.

Lieutenant General Roy Galido, commander of the Western Mindanao Command (Wesmincom), said the surrender of the young foreigners indicated progress in the government’s campaign against extremism, particularly targeting the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu and Basilan.

Major Andrew Linao, the spokesman for Wesmincom, said the Egyptian and Indonesian surrendered to the Army’s 1103rd Infantry Brigade at around 2:30 pm on Wednesday. They had been listed by the military as priority targets.

Linao said the boy’s family had brought him to Sulu in 2017. He was accompanied then by his stepfather, mother, and two elder brothers who had entered the country as tourists via Manila.

The boy informed the military that his entire family joined the Abu Sayyaf in Basilan that same year, and they relocated to Sulu the following year to join the late ASG leader Hatib Hajan Sawadjaan.

Sawadjaan, a preacher who served as emir of ISIS in the Philippines, died a few days after sustaining wounds during a fierce encounter with government troops in Patikul, Sulu, in 2020.

According to the military, the boy’s mother, Reda Mohammad Mahmud, carried out a suicide bombing attack on a military checkpoint in Barangay Kajatian, Indanan, Sulu, on September 8, 2019.

His stepfather, Abduramil, and brother Abdurahman were killed in a clash with government troops in Barangay Kan Islam, Indanan, Sulu, on November 7, 2019.

His other brother, Yusof, was killed in an encounter with government troops in Igasan, Patikul, Sulu, on April 17, 2021.

The military said the Egyptian boy had engaged in armed confrontations in Sulu since the age of 10, sustaining injuries to his head and right forearm.

The boy, speaking in the Tausug dialect, expressed resentment towards his mother and brothers for involving him in terrorism when he surrendered, Linao said.

The child said his family had misled him, making him believe that their trip to the Philippines was simply for vacation purposes.

Together with the 27-year-old Ellam, a former sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf in Sulu who took orders from the late Radullan Sahiron, the boy surrendered with their M16 rifle and M16A1 rifles, as well as ammunition.

They are currently undergoing debriefing and were presented to Colonel Christopher Tampus, commander of the 1103rd Infantry Brigade, at Camp Bud Datu in Tagbak, Indanan town, Sulu.

Major General Ignatius Patrimonio, commander of Joint Task Force Sulu, attributed the surrender to increased pressure on the Abu Sayyaf resulting from intensified intelligence operations by the military in Sulu and enhanced collaboration among local leaders and stakeholders in Indanan town in the fight against the terrorist organization.

Wives and a young widow

Meanwhile, police and soldiers arrested the wives of an Abu Sayyaf sub-leader and a young widow in Basilan on Thursday night, June 15.

Colonel Frederick Sales, the commander of Joint Task Force Basilan, identified the women as Marilyn Lasigan Bayali, also known as Nuray Fernandez, Madarang Jahirul Bayali, also known as Rashmiya Ordonez, and a 20-year-old named Nurmina Janatul, also known as Anisa.

Marilyn and Madarang, both in their 40s, are married to Pasil Bayali, a sub-leader of the Abu Sayyaf Group.

According to Major Linao, the women were apprehended during a search conducted by authorities at a residence in the village of Lower Lanote in Isabela City, Basilan. The search was based on a warrant issued for their violation of laws pertaining to the illegal possession of firearms and ammunition.

Linao said the house belonged to Julhaur Lasigan Bayali, an alleged ASG member under Pasil.

During the search, authorities found an M16A1 rifle, an 81 mm mortar, blasting caps, and other materials used in the production of improvised explosive devices, along with additional ammunition. – Rappler.com

A series of violent attacks has resulted in numerous deaths and injuries, including those of residents, teachers, and students.

Pikit town police chief, Lieutenant Colonel John Calinga, identified the latest victim as Marichu Valle Cabañog, a teacher at the Balong Elementary School in Pikit.

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Police said the grenade went off inside Cabañog’s house in Barangay Ginatilan, Pikit, around 2 am, killing the public school teacher on the spot.

Crime scene investigators found a grenade safety lever inside Cabañog’s house, while the safety pin was discovered near a bedroom window.

Calinga said investigators were trying to get the statement of the teacher’s husband to find out if it was a deliberate attack or accidental. Shocked and grieving, the husband has yet to talk to authorities.

Since 2021, gun attacks have been recorded in the town, resulting in the deaths and injuries of students and teachers.

The grenade explosion followed a May 26 ambush that killed 37-year-old Joel Reformado, the headteacher of Damalasak Elementary School in Pikit, while he was on his way to another public school for an inter-school activity.

His companion, 36-year-old Elton John Lapinid, was seriously hurt in the gun attack carried out by still unidentified men.

In February, the town government ordered the suspension of classes at all levels following the killing of a 13-year-old student and the wounding of two others as a result of a gun attack near their school. Another minor was fatally shot days later, followed by another killing on the same day.

Education officials in Cotabato province said the continuous violence in the town puts the lives of teachers and students at constant risk. They have called on the police and military to ensure the safety and security of teachers and students. 

Cotabato schools division superintendent, Romelito Flores, said the problem seriously jeopardizes the education of the town’s youth.

In response, the military started providing security escorts for teachers during their commute to and from their schools. – Rappler.com

The incident occurred as the officers were returning to the provincial headquarters camp on Wednesday evening, June 14, according to Brigadier General Allan Nobleza, the regional chief of the police in  the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

“The troops were about to return to the camp from a routine patrol they conducted in Shariff Aguak Poblacion when the ambush happened,” Nobleza said, confirming the incident that took place around 8:30 pm. 

“It was followed by a short firefight,” he said.

The wounded personnel were rushed to a nearby provincial hospital. 

The ambush occurred near the police’s provincial headquarters.

Nobleza identified the fatalities only as patrolmen Macacuna and Polayagan.

Wounded were Chief Master Sergeant Rey Vincent Gertos, Staff Sergeant Benjie de los Reyes, Patrolman Alib Abdulgapor, and Patrolman RJ Bal.

The police team belonged to the 2nd Provincial Mobile Force Company of the Maguindanao del Sur police. 

The ambush immediately resulted in speculations that it was a retaliatory attack by the Dawlah Islamiyah following the killing of their leader, Abu Zacharia, in Marawi earlier that day.

Nobleza said, “We cannot say at this point who was behind this ambush. We are thoroughly investigating the incident.”

Investigators suspect that the terrorist group Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) orchestrated the ambush. 

As a result, police, accompanied by Army soldiers, have launched a manhunt operation in the area to apprehend the assailants believed to be still in the vicinity.

It was not the first time an ambush has occurred targeting police cars in the area. In January 2018, a police car was struck by a roadside bomb, followed by gunfire from the BIFF. 

That incident resulted in the death of one policeman and the injury of seven others.

This incident also follows a similar attack on August 30 of last year when gunmen ambushed the police chief of Sharif Aguak town, Lieutenant Reynaldo Samson, and his security aide, Corporal Salipudin Endab. 

They were en route to make an arrest in the village of Kapinpilan at around 10 am on that day.

Police have attributed the August 30 ambush to the Karialan faction of the BIFF, led by Abdulnasser Sabtulah Guianid and Guipar Abdulkarim, also known as Commander Boy Jacket. 

Other members of the group include Sala Tunda, Johari Abdulbasser Guinaid, Phepe Saptulah, Abdulrah Sapal, and Bobot Kamsa. – Rappler.com

Addressing farmers at a pilot rice farm in Barangay Liwanay, Banga town, South Cotabato, Marcos, who is also the country’s agriculture secretary, said the new program would address the country’s problems in rice and food sufficiency.

The CRPMP is a pet project of South Cotabato governor Reynaldo Tamayo Jr, the president of the Partido Federal ng Pilipinas (PFP), Marcos’s political party in the 2022 presidential elections.

The project’s pilot farm in barangay Dajay in Surallah town involves 94 farmers and 210 hectares of rice land.

This will then expand to 1,400 hectares in the towns of Tantangan, Norala, Sto. Niño, Banga, and in Koronadal City, the governor said.

The Marcos program represents land re-consolidation for economic scale, grouping local rice farmers to form compact rice areas of at least 1000 hectares.

Higher yield

When Marcos asked Tamayo what yields the CRPMP offers, the governor said eight metric tons (MT) per hectare.

That figure is 179% of the Philippine Rice Research Institute‘s 2022 average national rice yield of 4.47MT/hectare.

Marcos seemed impress by Tamayo’s response. “Balitaan mo ako kapag nagharvest na kayo at babalik ako para makamayan kayo,” he told the governor.

Marcos handed to Tamayo a check worth P115.3 million to jumpstart the program, which sets up a facility with an array of equipment needed from production, processing, and all the way to bringing products to market centers.

Soccsksargen region agriculture director John Pascual said the funds would be earmarked for a warehouse and a rice processing center, the procurement of trucks, farm machineries, hybrid seeds, fertilizers, and other farm inputs.

Challenge

The president said the Philippines needs to improve rice yields due to the tight imports supply in Southeast Asia, which the country experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Thailand and Vietnam, two major rice suppliers, refused to export to us because they want to give priority to their domestic requirements,” he said in his speech.

Tight supply sent food prices spiking, a situation worsened by the rising cost of farm inputs, he added.

The president said the consolidated program is part of his thrust to pool together resources and functions to help farmers, by reducing the cost of inputs and processing.

He noted that the new program would plug the production losses from the traditional method of drying rice harvests on roadsides.

Marcos said he hoped farmers in South Cotabato would do away with the traditional method of drying their rice harvests on roadsides.

“Kahit basa iyong palay, puwede nang dalhin dito sa malaking complex,” said the President. (Even when the palay is yet, we can bring it to this big complex.)

He also claimed the CRPMP would break the old model of middlemen getting the better of farmers, as the the government program would set up a corporation to market the rice.

“This will allow global competitiveness among the province’s rice growers through practices of climate resilience, good agriculture, low-cost production, efficient farm mechanization and value adding strategies,” Tamayo said. – Rappler.com

Faharudin Hadji Benito Satar – also known as Faharudin Pumbaya Pangalian or Abu Zacariah – was the new ISIS Emir in Southeast Asia, following the death of Owayda Benito Marahombsar or Abu Dar, according to the military. 

Marahombsar was killed by army soldiers in Lanao del Sur in March 2019.

The Wednesday raid was conducted in Barangay Bangon at around 1:30 am, with authorities reporting that suspects threw grenades and used mortars to preempt the assault team from getting closer to their hideout.

On Wednesday, Colonel Billy de la Rosa, 103^rd Infantry Brigade assistant commander, said Zacaria was killed along with a companion identified as Abu Morshid, also a well-known militant of the ISIS-Dawlah Islamiyah group in Lanao del Sur.

Troops recovered a small cache of improvised explosive devices (IED) from one of the rooms of the apartment building the group rented in Barangay Bangon. They also recovered an ISIS black flag and two M-16 rifles from the slain suspects.

An Army soldier identified as Private First Class Chrismar Tungpalal was wounded as Zacaria and his companion engaged the soldiers for ten minutes.

Drieza Liningding, a leader of the Marawi Consensus group, said they woke up Wednesday morning to the sight of soldiers backed by armored personnel tanks searching Barangay Bangon for Zacaria’s companions who were able to escape the raid.

“The entire village of barangay Bangon is on lockdown. There are soldiers everywhere,” Liningding said in a phone interview Wednesday morning.

Marawi Mayor Majul Gandamra said the lockdown was raised by noon after the army soldiers finished their search of the village.

He appealed to residents to be calm, adding the army and police were on top of the situation.

De La Rosa said they monitored the movements of Zacaria leaving the main group of militants two weeks ago after the clash in Marogong that resulted in the death of four militants.

He said that, from Marogong, Zacaria moved to Marawi City to rent a two-room apartment in Barangay Bangon, where the military decided to arrest him Wednesday dawn.

“Our efforts were aided by former ISIS militants who helped us identity Zacaria,” De La Rosa said.

Thousands of residents fled Marogong town two weeks ago after Zacaria aired a threat over radio that the militants would seize the town.

Authorities monitored Zacaria’s group having recruited and trained new young fighters for the group in the thickly forested jungle of Marogong. – Rappler.com

After the first explosion, authorities found three more bombs at a power pylon of the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) in Pikit town, Cotabato province, on Monday, June 12.

Lieutenant Colonel John Miridel Calinga, the police chief of Pikit town, identified the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters (BIFF) as the group behind the foiled attempt to topple NGCP Tower No. 39 in Sitio Punol, Barangay Batulawan in Pikit.

Calinga said the bombs found were homemade explosive devices the BIFF has been known for.

The BIFF is not to be confused with the Bangsamoro Islamic Armed Forces (BIAF), the armed wing of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF). The BIFF is a militant group that emerged in the early 2000s after breaking away from the larger MILF due to ideological and strategic differences. 

The BIFF aims to establish an independent Islamic state in the predominantly Muslim areas of Mindanao and has been involved in various acts of violence, including bombings, attacks on government forces, and clashes with other armed groups in the region. It has been designated as a terrorist organization by the government.

Bomb experts disarmed the homemade explosive devices, made out of anti-personnel mines, which have been attached to the power pylon. 

Lieutenant Colonel Rowel Gavilanes, commander of the Army’s 90th Infantry Battalion, said the BIFF had planned to topple the NGCP pylon that is being used for power transmission from the Mindanao power grid to Soccsksargen and BARMM as the country celebrated the Philippine Independence Day.

Had the pylon been toppled, it could have plunged many areas in the two Mindanao regions into darkness, Calinga said.

Gavilanes said residents in Batulawan were the first to hear a faint explosion in the area past 8 am, and quickly reported it to authorities.

He said the police and Army sent teams of bomb experts to check and disarmed the devices.

Brigadier General Donald Gumiran, the commander of the Army’s 602nd Brigade, said all military units went on alert in anticipation of more bombing attempts and other forms of violence.

Police and soldiers were sent to immediately check other NGCP power pylons, and security was tightened along power substations and main distribution lines.

“This could be just a diversionary tactic for a possible retaliatory attack by lawless groups in response to the ongoing drive against terrorists and lawless groups,” Gumiran said.

On Sunday, June 11, a tricycle driver alerted soldiers in the remote village of Kadigasan, Midsayap town, Cotabato, about a package. Bomb experts checked and found an 81mm explosive inside. – Rappler.com

CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – A study commissioned by the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) has shown that local politicians are at the forefront when it comes to filing criminal cases of libel and cyber libel against journalists in the country.

The study, State of Legal Safety of Filipino Journalists, found that local politicians accounted for 61% of the cases monitored during the study’s timeline. 

Among these cases, 11 involved mayors, seven involved governors, three involved congressional representatives, two involved barangay chairpersons, and one involved a provincial board member. 

Apart from local politicians, the study identified other groups and individuals involved in filing criminal complaints against journalists. Government offices accounted for 12.8% of the cases, followed by private individuals at 15.4%, police officers at 7.7%, and religious groups at 2.6%. 

These findings shed light on the role played by local politicians in targeting journalists through the legal system and also showed the diverse sources of legal challenges faced by media practitioners in the country.

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The study was based on NUJP monitoring of at least 50 Filipino journalists who are facing libel and cyber libel cases from June 2016 to March 2023. 

It was released under the Initiative for Media Freedom, a five-year program implemented by Internews and funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

On Saturday, June 10, one of the study’s researchers, Paul Nicholas Soriano, presented the study to a group of Mindanao-based media workers in Cagayan de Oro City as part of NUJP’s media and welfare knowledge-sharing among journalists and lawyers, a gathering organized in partnership with the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) and Internews.

Soriano said they have monitored a rising use of Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation (SLAPP) against journalists.

The NUJP has identified 15 of these cases for review with its partner lawyer groups.

“Of the 15, eight cases are cyber libel, and two others are ordinary libel,” Soriano said, reading from the study.

He said five of these 10 cyber libel and ordinary libel cases have already been dismissed, while the other five are still ongoing.

As the number of criminal cases against journalists continues to rise, a concerning trend has emerged: journalists face increasing difficulties in obtaining legal representation. 

Despite the mounting legal challenges they encounter, many journalists find it increasingly challenging to access the legal support necessary to defend themselves. Such disparity made the pressing need for improved access to legal protection and resources for Filipino journalists in the face of criminal charges more pronounced.

Charlie Saceda, Internews program officer, said the knowledge-sharing sessions between journalists and lawyers are designed to better understand the local nuances of the weaponization of the law against journalists and how lawyers can help.

“The program is borne out of the struggling economic welfare of journalists and community news organizations that make them vulnerable to legal attacks,” said Saceda.

NUJP legal consultant Floyd Tiongson pointed out that the harassment cases stifle critical reporting on organized crime and political corruption.

“At least 66 criminal cases have been filed against journalists from 2016 until March 2023,” Tiongson said.

He said they have monitored 48 red-tagging incidents in that same period. Metro Manila chalked up 32 red-tagging incidents, eight in Luzon, one in the Visayas, and seven in Mindanao.

Lawyer Jocelyn Clemente, the chairperson of the IBP’s Committee on Press Freedom, said the legal fees explain the financial challenges faced by many community journalists seeking legal representation in courts.

Based on the 2020 rates, the acceptance fee for cases brought before a Municipal Trial Court ranged from P30,000 to P35,000, while the appearance fee for the lawyer was set at P2,500, she said.

For cases brought before the Regional Trial Court, the acceptance fee increased to P50,000, further escalating to P75,000 at the Court of Appeals (CA), and reaching P100,000 before the Supreme Court.

Journalists said the figures make it crucial to address the financial barriers that hinder community journalists from accessing the legal support they require.

“These cyber libel cases could go on for at least seven years,” Clemente said.

For her part, Cagayan de Oro assistant city prosecutor Monique Cajardo cited a Department of Justice (DOJ) order, which changed the department’s preliminary inquest from a mere “probable cause” to “reasonable certainty.”

Cajardo said the DOJ Order No. 20 helped unclog the cases filed before the prosecution offices.

“It helped us a lot since we are the ones who will be prosecuting these cases,” she said.

Lawyer Roschelle Dagaraga, a representative of the Commission on Human Rights (CHR) in Northern Mindanao, said that they would like to help actively defend the rights of community journalists.
“Although it is still in the ‘infancy’ period, the 6th Commission plans to join active litigation of cases,” Dagaraga said. – Rappler.com

Cong Corrales is an Aries Rufo Journalism fellow.