Prosecutor junks cyberlibel against media group

TACLOBAN CITY -- The Office of the City Prosecutor in Calbayog City has dismissed a cyber libel complaint filed by a Northern Samar provincial board member against a regional media organization.

In a resolution dated 7 October 2026, Investigating Prosecutor Creschic C. Mancol-Ariega dismissed the cyber libel case due to lack of prima facie evidence filed by Northern Samar Board Member Nadia Bianca Nicolette Lim Ong against the Eastern Visayas Media Without Borders (EVMWB) and its president Miriam Desacada.

The case stemmed from a 22 May 2026 article posted in the EVMWB page about a vehicular accident on 17 May along Maharlika Highway in Allen, Northern Samar involving a nurse who was riding on a motorcycle and a van allegedly owned by a provincial official but did not name Ong.

Ong’s name eventually surfaced when her social media page Alagang Nadia Ong started explaining her side of the incident that involved her driver.

Subsequent posts in EVMWB page provided the contradicting claims based from a police report and the side of the provincial official as posted in her FB page Alagang Nadia Ong – on who was at fault on the road and on the issue of settlement.

In her case, Ong pointed out the use of an AI-generated image and critical remarks concerning the vehicular accident in the post.

In the resolution, prosecutor said the complainant failed to establish that Desacada personally created, approved or uploaded the disputed content.

The resolution noted that although Desacada had access to or was associated with the Facebook page, more than 10 other individuals and officials also had access to its management.

The prosecutor emphasized that being an administrator or a member of the page does not automatically establish personal criminal liability for the content posted.

EVMWB claims a membership of over 100 media practitioners and media workers across Eastern Visayas.