LIBEL TRIAL. Rappler CEO Maria Ressa leave the court room as she attend for her pre-trial at Manila City Hall in Manila on June 21, 2019. Photo by Lito Borras/RapplerWe got a glimpse of it on Tuesday, July 23, as the Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 46of the cyber libel case against Rappler CEO and Executive Editor Maria Ressa and former researcher-writer Reynaldo Santos Jr.
But the first and the most important element is defamatory imputation. Was the article libelous or not? "I think that was what the witness earlier was supposed to testify on, except that I don't think we got there... someone has to prove that a person who is the subject of any article was defamed, so I think the only way to prove that really, aside from the subject person himself which would be self serving, would be someone else, and I think that's what they were trying to do this morning," said Te.
Te said the prosecution may possibly request subpoenas from the court to compel the journalists to take the stand. The prescription period was the basis of then NBI cybercrime chief Manuel Antonio Eduarte to dismiss Keng's complaint.," Eduarte told Rappler in a phone interview on February 22.Asked whether Eduarte would be examined on the seeming flip-flop, Banguis said"we will see."
In a statement on Tuesday, Ressa said"this case of cyber libel stretches the rule of law until it breaks."