By Ben Rosario  The conviction on a libel charge of veteran journalist Maria Ressa and a researcher-writer by a Manila court renewed calls for Congress to act on bills seeking to scrap the offense from the country’s penal code. (MANILA BULLETIN FILE PHOTO) House Bills 1835 and and 3455 were filed almost a year ago while HB 5672 which seeks to amend the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 was submitted on November 27, 2019. Referred to the House Committee on Revision of Laws chaired by Zambales Rep. Cheryl Deloso-Montalla, HB 1935 and 3455 propose the scrapping of penalties for the crime of libel. HB 5672 was referred to the Committee on Information and Communications Technology headed by Tarlac Rep. Victor Yap. HB 5672 seeks to amend RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 by repealing the provision defining libel committed through a computer system or any other similar means which may be devised in the future as a prohibited act. Makabayan solons, co-authors of HB 5672 and 3455, urged the concerned House panels to start hearings and deliberate on the proposals amid the strong public criticisms aired against the conviction of Ressa, chief executive officer and editor-in-chief of Rappler, and Reynaldo Santos, a former Rappler writer. Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Rainela Estasio-Montesa sentenced them to imprisonment of six months to six years and ordered to pay P200,000 in moral damages and P200,000 in exemplary damages to their accuser, businessman Wilfredo D. Keng. Cagayan de Oro City Rep. Rufus Rodriguez, author of HB 1835, warned that punishing journalists with imprisonment will “work more to discourage” media persons to perform their duties “with zeal and vigilance.” “Instead of looking deeply into issues that have a potential of affecting public interest and general welfare, the penalty of imprisonment has paved the way for members of the media to approach their mandates with doubts and hesitation,” he explained. Instead of jailing journalists, Rodriguez proposed the increase in fine for committing libel from P200-P600 to P10,000-P30,000. Bayan Muna Reps. Carlos Isagani Zarate, Ferdinand Gaite and Eubemia Cullamat batted to decriminalize libel by repealing Articls 353, 354, 355, 356, 357, 360, 361and 362 of Act No. 3815 of the Revised Penal Code. The three opposition solons said the law on libel violates the constitutioanl guarantees of freedom of expression and freedom of the press. “Today, however, the law has been increasingly used by public officials as a tool to cow and muzzle independent media,” the authors lamented. Together with Reps. France Castro (ACT Teachers Partylist); Arlene Brosas (Gabriela Women’s Party) and Sarah Jane Elago (Kabataan Partylist), the Bayan Muna lawmakers co-authored HB 5672 of which Ressa and Santos were held liable to. The Makabayan solons said the libel provisions of RA 10175 “endanger fundamental freedom particularly the right to free speech.” They pointed out that the libel clauses in the cybercrime law were merely inserted during the bicameral conference committee proceedings that consolidated the final versions of Senate Bill 2796 and House Bill 5808. “Neither bill contained a provision on libel. Section 4 © (4) is therefore an unlawful provision as it escaped the scrutiny of Congress,” the authors stressed. According to them the objectionable provisions of RA 10175 “cast a chilling effect over the exercise of free online expression.” “They bring back the days of martial law when being critical, especially of public officials, is a crime and arbitrary law enforcement is the general rule rather than the exception,” authors of HB 5672 stated. READ MORE: Manila RTC convicts Ressa, ex-Rappler researcher of cyber libel