There they went again — meddling in something they appear to hardly know about, which are Philippine libel laws, the justice system and, of course, the country’s Constitution and, worse, mostly arriving at the wrong conclusions.

“The better way would be for her and other journalists to start pressuring Congress to either amend the libel and cyber libel law or repeal them.

A recent newspaper report said some foreign governments have weighed in on the arrest of Rappler chief executive officer Maria Ressa on cyber libel charges leveled against her by the state.

The United States Embassy in Manila was at least more polite, just saying the US hopes Ressa’s case would be resolved quickly in accordance with relevant Philippine laws and international standards of due process.

British Ambassador Daniel Pruce was said to be concerned over the arrest of Ressa last Wednesday, saying the British government supports a free media. Apparently, he thinks our media isn’t free just because Ressa was sued for libel and was arrested, which she could have avoided if she had voluntarily surrendered and paid her bail on the day she got hold of her arrest warrant. But she wanted to portray herself as a government-persecuted journalist.

Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said she was “deeply troubled” by Ressa’s arrest, adding “Canada reiterates its call for due process to be respected and for journalists to be free from harassment and intimidation.”

So, what makes this Canadian minister conclude that due process in this country is not respected and that Ressa has been harassed and intimidated? How dare she! Ressa, despite her amateurish dramatics while milking her arrest, as well as her deliberate move to get herself detained for the night at the National Bureau of Investigation, was given her due process, a lot better than Canada did when it detained the Huawei finance officer for an alleged crime that was not even committed in Canada!

Freeland should really mind her own business and cease saying something about our laws and Constitution and due process, jumping to conclusions based on faked outrage from Ressa.

Another who bought Ressa’s dramatics is former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright who called Ressa’s arrest “outrageous and should be condemned by all democratic nations.”

Is Albright saying a journalist like Ressa should be untouchable and can freely destroy the reputations of individuals without being charged for libel and arrested?

This is her brand of democracy and due process, since to Albright, the libel charges and arrest of Ressa is undemocratic and that her arrest should be denounced?

Doesn’t the US charge the suspects for crimes and even detain them when probable cause exists and their laws state so? Why should Ressa’s arrest be denounced even when there is probable cause and given the fact that in the Philippines there is criminal libel and cyber libel which are both bailable crimes?

Why should arresting Ressa be undemocratic, especially since she could have easily avoided her arrest by posting bail the day she was made aware of her arrest warrant? She deliberately planned to stay overnight in the NBI to cement her image as a politically persecuted journalist!

US Sen. Brian Schatz of Hawaii reportedly called for the charges against Ressa to be dropped, saying the Philippine government should focus on protecting democracy rather than trying to silence journalists.

Hell, these freaking foreigners don’t even know what democracy is all about and frankly it’s worse for Schaltz since he doesn’t even seem to know what he is talking about. It is the Philippine courts that have the right and authority to dismiss the case or continue the trial as long as it takes. Ressa is hardly being silenced merely because she is being sued for libel.

Rappler continues to come up with its daily fare of critical articles, some of which, incidentally, are not fact-based, such as the number of drug-related deaths which was patently false, but which was used by international media to portray the Duterte government as murderous.

As for the usual UN pests, special rapporteurs Agnes Callamard and David Kaye, they predictably condemned the arrest of Ressa, with Callamard calling her arrest “another terrible nail in the coffin” while Kaye says, “Let’s be clear: this very serious escalation is harassment of media inconsistent with Philippine obligation to promote and protect freedom of expression.” Harassment? No wonder these rapporteurs have no credibility. They accuse without proof.

Hey, Kaye and Callamard, for journalists, libel comes with the territory and the risk we take whenever we write reports. Being charged with libel does not translate to being silenced by government or any person who files a libel suit against a journalist.

As for Ressa who tries so hard to portray herself as a martyr and even makes herself out as an entitled journalist whom the government shouldn’t touch or else all international hell will break loose, the better way would be for her and other journalists to start pressuring Congress to either amend the libel and cyber libel law or repeal them. Better still, do away with criminal libel and concentrate on civil libel. That way, these freaking onion-skinned politicians who want to punish journalists who don’t bow to them will have to pay a filing fee when they sue journalists.