SC clears Trixie, lawyer

The Supreme Court (SC) has junked in an order released to the public on Saturday the administrative complaint against former Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles and fellow lawyer George Ahmed Paglinawan over their Facebook posts related to the case of a former Iglesia ni Cristo minister that they were handling.

Associate Justice Amy Lazaro-Javier, in the 29 July 2024 decision she wrote for the SC Second Division, said the complaint filed by lawyer Randy Serrano failed to prove that the statements came from the Facebook accounts of Angeles and Paglinawan.

She said screenshots still needed proof of authenticity and due execution, but these were not presented. The SC said even assuming that the Facebook accounts belonged to Angeles and Paglinawan, their statements were protected by freedom of speech.