Law Defining Cyber

Libel
R.A. 10175
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
 Cyber Crime Law
Republic Act 10175
Libel Offense under Section 355
Revised Penal Code of the Philippines
Cyberlibel o Paninirang Puri sa
Internet o Post sa Facebook etc.
Libel

> The unlawful or prohibited acts of libel

as defined in Art. 355 of the Revised
Penal Code, as amended, committed
through a computer system or any other
similar means which may be devised in
the future.
To determine whether a person posting,
sharing, commenting, or liking a libelous
post on social media, is liable for the
crime of cyber libel, we have to explore
the principal acts amounting to the crime
of cyber libel itself, as defined under the
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Elements of Cyber Libel
a. There must be an imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real
or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status, or
circumstance.
b. The imputation must be made publicly, which requires that at
least one other person must have seen the libelous post, in
addition to the author and the person defamed or alluded to in the
post.
c. c. The imputation must be malicious, which means that the
author of the libelous post made such post with knowledge that it
was false, or with reckless disregard as to the truth or falsity
thereof. (Yunchengco vs. The Manila Chronicle Publishing
Corporation, G.R. No. 184315, 25 November 2009.)
d. The imputation must be directed at a natural or juridical
person, or one who is dead, which requires that the post
must identify the person defamed, or at the very least, the
person defamed is identifiable by a third person.
e. The imputation must tend to cause the dishonor, discredit
or contempt of the person defamed. (Reyes, Luis B., Revised
Penal Code, Fifteenth Edition, 2001, page 932.)
f. The imputation was done through the use of a computer
system or any other similar means which may be devised in
the future. (Sec. 4(c)(4) of R.A. 10175)
Person Liable for Cyber Libel
It must be noted that the Revised Penal Code punishes
the person who shall publish, exhibit or cause the
publication or exhibition of a libelous post, or the editor
or business manager of a book, pamphlet, newspaper,
magazine or serial publication containing the libelous
material:
“Art. 360. Persons responsible. — Any person who shall
publish, exhibit, or cause the publication or exhibition of
any defamation in writing or by similar means, shall be
responsible for the same.
• The author or editor of a book or pamphlet, or the
editor or business manager of a daily newspaper,
magazine or serial publication, shall be
responsible for the defamations contained therein
to the same extent as if he were the author
thereof.
• Therefore, in relation to the crime of cyber libel,
you have two (2) personalities that are clearly
subjected to liability for the crime:
a.The author of the libelous post, which includes
the person who shall publish, exhibit or cause the
publication of the libelous post. The person who
created the libelous post would fall under this
category.
b.The editor or business manager, in case the
libelous post is contained in a book, pamphlet,
newspaper, magazine or serial publication.
Penalty for Cyber Libel

Traditional libel is punished under the Revised Penal Code, as

amended by Republic Act No. 10951, as follows:
“Art. 355. Libel by means of writings or similar means. – A libel
committed by means of writing, printing, lithography, engraving,
radio, phonograph, painting, theatrical exhibition, cinematographic
exhibition, or any similar means, shall be punished by prisión
correccional in its minimum and medium periods or a fine ranging
from Forty thousand pesos (₱40,000) to One million two hundred
thousand pesos (₱1,200,000), or both, in addition to the civil
action which may be brought by the offended party.”
The penalty under Prision Correccional in its
minimum period involve imprisonment from 6
months and 1 day to 2 years and 4 months. On the
other hand, Prision Correccional in its medium
period involve imprisonment from 2 years, 4 months
and 1 day to 4 years. Thus, using the computation of
periods for penalties under the Revised Penal Code,
the penalty imposed for traditional libel involves
imprisonment from 6 months and 1 day to 4 years
and 2 months.
On the other hand, the 
Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 punishes the crime of cyber
libel
 as follows:
• “Section 6. All crimes defined and penalized by the Revised
Penal Code, as amended, and special laws, if committed by,
through and with the use of information and
communications technologies shall be covered by the
relevant provisions of this Act: Provided, That the penalty to
be imposed shall be one (1) degree higher than that
provided for by the Revised Penal Code, as amended, and
special laws, as the case may be.”
Since the crime of traditional libel is punished
under the Revised Penal Code, and under the cyber
crime prevention act, if the crime is cyber libel, “the
penalty to be imposed shall be one (1) degree
higher than that provided for by the Revised Penal
Code, as amended”, the penalty imposed would be
Prision Correccional in its maximum period to
Prision Mayor in its minimum period.
Prision Correccional in its maximum period involve
imprisonment from 4 years, 2 months and 1 day to 6
years. On the other hand, Prision Mayor in its
minimum period involve imprisonment 6 years and
1 day to 8 years.
Thus, the penalty for cyber libel, based on the penalty
under the Revised Penal Code for traditional libel, and
computed under Section 6 of the Cybercrime Prevention
Act of 2012, which increased the penalty by one (1)
degree higher, is 2 year, 4 months and 1 day to 8 years.

---SOURCE: NICOLAS AND DE VEGA LAW OFFICES

Siniraan ang puri mo sa Facebook post nya, ano
gagawin mo? Ito ang step-by-step process para
makakuha ng evidence at makasuhan mo sya ng
criminal case na Cyberlibel at maipakulong:
• 1. I-screenshot ang buong Facebook post nya na may paninira sayo.
• 2. Isama ang kanyang FB profile picture para malinaw ang evidence na
sya ang nag post;
• 3. Dapat isama din ang URL kung computer ang gamit mo sa pag
screenshot;
• 4. Dapat mag screenshot ka rin ng kanyang FB profile account
• 5. Huwag i-edit o lagyan ng anumang words or mark ang screenshot;
• 6. Kumuha ng common friends nyo sa Facebook para mag testify at mag
identify na sya talaga ang may-ari ng FB account na nagpost ng paninira
sayo;
• 7. Kung wala common friends o anonymous account o hindi mo
maidentify ang owner, go to Anti-Cybercrime Division ng NBI or
PNP-CIDG para ma-identify ng computer forensic experts nila;
Ang pagkakaroon ng Facebook account ay hindi nagbibigay ng
lisensiya sa may-ari nito na gamitin ito na makakasira sa buhay at
reputasyon ng ibang tao. Ang post, comment o twit na may pagmumura
o paninirang puri sa isang tao sa Facebook, Twitter o iba pang social
networking sites o internet ay isang krimen na "cyberlibel". Ang
nasabing post, comment o twit ay isang electronic evidence na
tinatanggap na sa korte bilang ebidensiya ng libel at pwede na itong
magamit laban sa taong nagpost nito sa internet.
Ito ang tinatawag na Cyberlibel na pinaparusahan sa Section 4 (c) (4) ng
“Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012″ o Republic Act No. 10175 at
sinasabi dito na ang cyber libel ay hango sa Revised Penal Code, Article
353. Ito ay isang isinapubliko at malisyosong pagbibintang ng isang
krimen, bisyo o depekto o isang aksiyon o hindi pag-aksiyon ng isang
tao, kundisyon, status o circumstances kung saan ito ay nadishonor,
pagkapahiya at paghamak ng isang tao o korporasyon sa pamamagitan
ng internet at computer.
Ayon sa “Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012″ kung saan ang "Libel" ay
isinama bilang isang uri ng "Cybercrime", pinapaparusahan ng kulong
ang gumawa nito ng hindi bababa sa 6 months and 1 day at hindi
lalampas na 6 years na pagkakakulong.
Now, meron ka na evidence para kasuhan siya, pwede mo na ito isampa
bilang isang criminal case.
8. Gamit ang mga evidence mo, gumawa ng Complaint Affidavit o
Sinumpaang Salaysay kung saan dapat ikwento ang buong pangyayari
before, during at after ng posting ng paninira sa FB at elemento ng
krimen. Para makasiguro, humingi ng tulong sa lawyer sa paggawa nito;
• 9. Hindi mo kailangan na ipa-barangay ang kalaban mo dahil
exempted ang Cyberlibel sa requirement ng barangay hearing.
• 10. I-file ang Complaint Affidavit o Sinumpaang Salaysay sa
Prosecutor’s Office o Fiscal’s Office.
• 11. Hintayin ang Subpoena ng Prosecutor’s Office o Fiscal’s Office
para sa hearing ng preliminary investigation.
• 12. Maglalabas ng resolution ang investigating prosecutor at kung ang
decision ng Prosecutor’s Office o Fiscal’s Office ay iakyat sa korte,
ang criminal information ay isasampa sa Regional Trial Court;
• 13. Mag-iissue ang korte ng warrant of arrest sa akusado para sya ay
panagutin sa hukuman at doon magpresenta ng evidence ang
complainant;
• 14. Ang cyberlibel ay kailangan maisampa sa prosecutor office
• within one year mula ng ipost sa Facebook ang paninirang puri. If
more than one year na, hindi na pwede.
• Kung kumpleto ka ng evidence, madali mo lang maipakulong ang
nanirang puri sa iyo sa Facebook. Maraming maimbentong depensa
ang kalaban mo pero kung matibay evidence mo, wala silang lusot sa
korte.
• Paano kung i-delete nila?
• Ok lang na i-delete nila ang post as long as meron ka na screenshot
nito dahil ito ang electronic evidence mo laban sa kanya.

---SOURCE: NBI PHILIPPINES, ANTI CYBERCRIME GROUP

TSISMOSA KA BA?
Nasa ibaba ang kasong maaaring isampa laban sa iyo:
1. Slander- Pagpapahayag ng pasalita na nakasira sa reputasyon o
karangalan ng isang tao. (Paninirang puri)
2. Oral defamation – Maling akusasyon o malisyosong pahayag na
pasalita na nakasira ng reputasyon o karangalan ng isang tao o
entidad
QUESTIONS?