DOJ junks Byron’s cyberlibel case vs Pam

Local

CEBU Gov. Pamela “Pam” Baricuatro has been cleared of a cyberlibel case that was filed against her by Byron Garcia.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) granted Baricuatro’s petition for review in a resolution promulgated on April 20, 2026, reversing a January 9, 2024 ruling of the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Cebu that had earlier found probable cause for cyberlibel.

The DOJ directed the provincial prosecutor’s office to withdraw the information filed before the Regional Trial Court.

The case originated from a complaint filed by Garcia, brother of former Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, over Facebook comments that Baricuatro posted in 2023 on the account of the late Dr. Rowena Burden.

One of the posts included the statement “Dili ko kurakot pareha nila,” which prosecutors initially cited as the basis for the charge.

In seeking reversal, Baricuatro argued that her statements were part of fair comment on matters of public interest and that no specific individual was clearly identified in the posts.

She also maintained that the statements did not show actual malice.

The DOJ ruled that the essential element of identifiability was missing, stressing that defamatory statements must clearly refer to the complainant.

It found that the term cited in the complaint was not directly attributed to Garcia.

The DOJ also reiterated that not all offensive or insulting language amounts to libel, noting that general statements or words of abuse are not actionable without a clear and personal reference to an identifiable person.

With these findings, the DOJ ordered the withdrawal of the criminal case, effectively ending the cyberlibel proceedings against Baricuatro.

Garcia downplayed the ruling, describing the case as minor and reiterating his earlier position that it was meant as a caution against accusations of corruption.(MyTVCebu)