A public official in Buenavista, Guimaras was found guilty of cyber libel over his May 2022 Facebook comment.
According to a decision released by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 65 in Guimaras, Sangguniang Bayan Member Vincent Pascal De Asis violated Republic Act (RA) 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
De Asis, a lawyer by profession, was sentenced to pay a fine of P50 thousand, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency.
He was also ordered to pay P500 thousand in moral damages. The amount “shall earn legal interest of 6 percent per annum from finality of the judgement until the obligation is fully paid.”
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Buenavista Vice Mayor Cyril Beltran in December 2022.
Beltran posted on his Facebook page a photo of him raising the hand of lawyer Joh Edward Gando with the caption: “Ang Bise Gobernador ko, Vice Gov Atty. Edward Gando. Indi butigon. Indi tikalon.”
A Facebook account, under the name of De Asis, commented on the post, saying: “Ikaw ya Kawatan? Nabalik mo na Ang 1.5 million pesos nga ging kawat mo sa sumagpao?“
Lawyer Jose Ricsan Tormon, Beltran’s legal counsel, said they were able to present evidence, including a certification from the Regional Anti-Cybercrime Unit (RACU), that De Asis owned the account.IMT
