Philippine DoJ Orders Cyberlibel Charges vs Topacio, 5 Others in Hontiveros Case
Key Takeaways
- •The Philippine Department of Justice has reversed its previous findings and ordered the filing of cyberlibel charges against six individuals accused of spreading false claims about Senator Risa Hontiveros's Senate probe into Apollo Quiboloy.
- •An Oct. 29 resolution granted Hontiveros's petition for review, setting aside Dec. 22, 2025 and March 16 rulings that had dismissed the complaint twice for lack of evidence.
- •The complaint concerns Facebook and YouTube posts published in June 2025 that accused Hontiveros of bribing and coaching witnesses in the Quiboloy investigation.
- •Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, cyberlibel is punishable by imprisonment ranging from four years, two months and one day to eight years.
- •Respondent lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said in a statement that he is not intimidated by the criminal case.
THE Philippines' Department of Justice (DoJ) has reversed its earlier finding and recommended the criminal indictment of six individuals accused of spreading false information about a Senate investigation into alleged abuses by embattled preacher Apollo S. Quiboloy, Senator Ana Theresia "Risa" N. Hontiveros-Baraquel said on Tuesday.
According to a resolution dated Oct. 29 that Ms. Hontiveros shared with reporters, the DoJ granted her petition for review, setting aside the Dec. 22, 2025 and March 16 rulings of its prosecution staff, which had dismissed the complaint for lack of evidence. The decision effectively revives a complaint that the department's own prosecutors had twice thrown out, after its reviewers took a second look at the evidence presented.
The DoJ directed its prosecution staff to file cyberlibel charges against the respondents and to report back within 10 days from receipt of the resolution. Once the charges are filed, the case would move from the department's prosecutorial review into the court system, where the six respondents would have the opportunity to answer the accusations in judicial proceedings.
The complaint covered Facebook and YouTube posts published in June 2025 that accused Ms. Hontiveros of bribing and coaching witnesses. Under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, cyberlibel is punishable by imprisonment of four years, two months and one day to eight years. The law extended the country's existing libel provisions to content published through computer systems, placing social media posts such as those cited in the complaint within its scope.
"We have said this before: dangerous lies directed at the victims who testified about the abuses committed by Apollo Quiboloy must not go unchallenged," Ms. Hontiveros said in a statement.
"We will always defend and support free speech and the press," she said. "However, this is a different matter — this concerns the systematic and deliberate dissemination of fake news against the Senate, our staff, and the courageous individuals who provided testimony during the investigation into widespread sexual abuse and human trafficking."
Ms. Hontiveros has led Senate hearings into allegations of sexual abuse and human trafficking involving Mr. Quiboloy, the founder of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church, who was arrested in September 2024 after weeks of evading Philippine authorities. He also faces charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors have charged him with sex trafficking and related offenses.
Lawyer Ferdinand S. Topacio, one of the respondents, said in a statement that he is not intimidated by the criminal case.
— Erika Mae P. Sinaking, BusinessWorld
