NUJP slams criminal rap vs Bacolod journalist

PRESS FREEDOM UNDER FIRE Former SunStar editor in chief Marchel Espina (right) and her lawyer, Abegail Bayona (center), listen as a police officer reads Espina her Miranda rights when she surrendered at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Negros Island Region office in Bacolod City on Friday. Espina later posted bail in an unjust vexation case. —CARLA P. GOMEZ

BACOLOD CITY—Former SunStar Cebu and SunStar Bacolod editor in chief Marchel Espina voluntarily surrendered to authorities and posted bail on Friday after a Batangas court issued a warrant for her arrest in connection with an unjust vexation case.

The complaint stemmed from an opinion piece written by a contributor and published in SunStar Cebu in December 2024, when Espina was the publication’s editor in chief.

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Espina surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Negros Island Region in Bacolod City and posted bail of P6,000. She was accompanied by her legal counsel, lawyer Abegail Bayona.

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In a statement following her surrender, Espina said she was fully cooperating with the legal process.

“I am voluntarily surrendering today because I respect the rule of law and the legal process. I intend to answer the allegations through the proper judicial channels,” she said.

Espina said the complaint involved an opinion article published during her tenure as editor in chief of SunStar Cebu.

“As a journalist, I believe this case raises important concerns about the use of criminal complaints against journalists and editors in relation to their work. I also believe it has a chilling effect on press freedom,” she said.

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“Journalists and editors should never be intimidated or silenced for carrying out their professional duties in good faith. While every person has the right to seek legal remedies, the legal process should never be used to discourage independent journalism and reporting in the public interest,” Espina asserted.

Responsible journalism

Espina reaffirmed her commitment to responsible journalism and the defense of press freedom and thanked her lawyer, colleagues, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), her family, friends and everyone who, she said, had “reached out and stood by me during this time.”

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In a separate statement, the NUJP condemned the filing of criminal charges against Espina, who serves as one of its national directors, calling it “an attack on press freedom and an attempt to intimidate journalists.”

The journalists’ group said a local leader of a religious organization filed the unjust vexation complaint against Espina and several others over the published opinion piece.

The NUJP also questioned the manner in which the case was handled, saying Espina was not afforded due process because she only learned of the arrest warrant after it had already been issued by the Batangas court.

According to the group, Espina, who is based in Bacolod City, was never notified of the complaint and was therefore unable to submit a counter-affidavit before the issuance of the warrant.

“The filing of charges against Espina is clearly meant to intimidate her and the media community,” the NUJP said.

It added that this was not the first time leaders of the same religious group had filed cases against journalists who published critical views about the group’s alleged ties with an influential political dynasty.

“Any group or individual engaging in obvious political activities should not be onion-skinned when subjected to public scrutiny. Journalists report on matters of public interest, including supposed religious activities in support of certain politicians,” the organization said.

The NUJP warned that criminal complaints were increasingly being used to silence journalists.

“The filing of criminal charges against truth-tellers has been a weapon of choice by the powers that be. It is an indication of the rottenness of the justice system and the impunity that continues to undermine our so-called democracy,” it said.

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The group called for the charges against Espina to be dismissed.