Mother faces cyberlibel raps over WhatsApp posts in school dispute
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Two counts of cyberlibel have been filed against the mother of a student at an international school for allegedly posting defamatory messages about another parent in school-related WhatsApp group chats.
Irene Cohen, whose son is a Grade 6 student at the British School Manila (BSM), filed the complaint before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Santa Rosa.
Named as respondent was Vanessa Figueroa, the mother of another Grade 6 student who is a classmate of Cohen's son.
The complaint stemmed from an alleged punching incident involving the two students during a softball game on the school grounds on 20 May 2026.
According to Cohen, Figueroa's son punched her son, causing injuries to his nose that required medical attention.
She said she did not confront either Figueroa or her son following the incident.
However, Cohen alleged that on 21 June 2026, Figueroa posted a lengthy message in a WhatsApp group named "BSM Year 6 2025/2026," which has 93 members, including parents of students.
According to the complaint, the message contained malicious statements intended to damage Cohen's reputation.
Cohen alleged that Figueroa accused her of engaging in "character assassination," "endless backbiting," insulting other parents, and harassing her son by giving him "dagger looks" after the alleged punching incident.
The complaint also alleged that the message portrayed Cohen as someone who ostracized Figueroa's son, spread gossip, and likened her to a snake.
"Said message was published by respondent Figueroa, containing malicious imputations with bad intentions and unjustifiable motives, purposely to malign, dishonor, discredit, insult, and assassinate my character and good reputation to the members of the said group chat who [were] not privy to the said communication," the complaint stated.
Cohen further claimed that Figueroa accused her of having a "history with other moms" and of previously victimizing other parents who remained "meek and quiet."
She also alleged that Figueroa reposted the same message in another WhatsApp group where Cohen was not a member. Cohen said another parent later forwarded the message to her.
As evidence, Cohen submitted screenshots of the alleged WhatsApp messages.
She argued that Figueroa violated Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code on libel in relation to Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
According to the complaint, the statements were defamatory and malicious, were published through large WhatsApp group chats, and clearly identified the complainant.
"All told, the totality of the foregoing circumstances engenders moral certainty and leads to the ineluctable conclusion that respondent Figueroa is indeed the author of the subject WhatsApp messages. There is no other reasonable and logical conclusion given the circumstances of the case," the complaint stated.
