Press Release
June 30, 2018

Pasay prosecutor OKs cyber-libel case vs. Thinking Pinoy blogger RJ Nieto

The Pasay City Prosecutor's Office has approved the libel case filed by Senator Antonio "Sonny" F. Trillanes IV against Rey Joseph "RJ" Nieto, the blogger behind the Facebook page Thinking Pinoy.

Under the signed resolution, the prosecutor's office recommends that a Libel case under Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 be filed against RJ Nieto for his "false and baseless defamatory imputation against complainant (Trillanes)."

In 2017, Nieto published on his Thinking Pinoy Facebook page the following false and derogatory statement against Trillanes, which generated 62,000 reactions and 15,759 shares:

"Trump calls Trillanes drug lord.

US President Donald J. Trump reportedly called Senator Antonio 'Sonny' F. Trillanes IV a 'Narco', a colloquial word for a 'drug baron' or 'drug lord'.

Does Trump's government know something?"

The resolution called Nieto's story as malicious and untrue. It acknowledged that while public officials should not be onion-skinned, this should not be an excuse for anyone to make baseless lies and make up stories.

"This should serve as a warning for Mr. Nieto and other Duterte bloggers to stop peddling lies, as part of their propaganda. Their activities reflect the kind of administration that they support. Sooner or later, they will all be accountable for their actions," Trillanes explained.

Nieto will now be brought to trial and face a penalty of at least prision correccional or imprisonment from 6 months to one year to 6 years should he be adjuged guilty of libel.

News Latest News Feed