NUJP director arraigned for ‘unjust vexation,’ media group slams case

BACOLOD CITY — National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) director Marchel Espina was arraigned Thursday (Aug. 27) before the Batangas City Regional Trial Court over an “unjust vexation” charge stemming from an opinion piece published by SunStar Cebu in December 2024.

Espina’s camp filed a motion to quash the case shortly before the scheduled arraignment, but the court denied it and proceeded with the hearing, the NUJP said.

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The case will now proceed to pretrial, with the first hearing set for Sept. 24.

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The complaint was filed by a local leader of a religious group over the opinion piece, which was published when Espina was editor-in-chief of SunStar Cebu.

The NUJP condemned the case as an attempt to intimidate Espina and the media community.

“Criminal charges filed against journalists over their reporting and commentary on matters of public interest must be exposed for what they are: a weapon that can be wielded to silence critical voices,” the NUJP said.

Espina is represented by lawyer Vincent Bohol of the Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG).

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The NUJP thanked Bohol for his legal assistance and the Philippine Press Institute for extending support to Espina.

“We stand with Marchel. Journalists must be free to scrutinize those who wield political and public influence without fear of harassment or reprisal,” the group said. /jpv