The case against journalist and National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) director Marchel Espina will proceed to trial after a Batangas City court rejected her bid to have the “unjust vexation” charge dismissed.
Espina was arraigned Thursday, August 27, before the Batangas City Regional Trial Court over an opinion piece published by SunStar Cebu in December 2024, when she was the newspaper’s editor-in-chief.
Her legal team filed a motion to quash the case shortly before the arraignment, but the court denied the motion and proceeded with the hearing, according to the NUJP.
The case will now move to pretrial, with the first hearing scheduled for September 24.
The complaint was filed by a local leader of a religious group over the opinion piece.
The NUJP criticized the case, saying criminal complaints against journalists over their reporting or commentary can be used to discourage critical coverage.
“Criminal charges filed against journalists over their reporting and commentary on matters of public interest must be exposed for what they are: a weapon that can be wielded to silence critical voices,” the group said.
Espina is represented by lawyer Vincent Bohol of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG). The NUJP also acknowledged the support of the Philippine Press Institute.
The journalists’ organization said it considers the case an attempt to intimidate Espina and the broader media community.
“We stand with Marchel. Journalists must be free to scrutinize those who wield political and public influence without fear of harassment or reprisal,” the NUJP said.
With the court declining to dismiss the complaint, Espina will face the next stage of proceedings as the parties prepare their evidence for trial.
