- Petitioner
- People
- Respondent
- Jomerito S. Soliman
- Citation
- G.R. No. 256700
- Court
- Supreme Court
- Division
- En Banc
- Ponente
- Kho, Jr., J.
- Decided
- April 25, 2023
Whether the RTC committed grave abuse of discretion in imposing penalty of fine only instead of imprisonment for Online Libel under RA 10175
Summary
This Supreme Court case clarifies the proper penalty computation for Online Libel under RA 10175 and affirms that fine may be imposed as alternative to imprisonment. Soliman was convicted of Online Libel for Facebook posts defaming a government official, with RTC imposing P50,000 fine only. When the People challenged this via certiorari claiming imprisonment was mandatory, the Court ruled that both traditional and online libel allow fine as alternative penalty. The Court computed the proper fine range for online libel (P40,000-P1,500,000) using Article 75 of the RPC and confirmed Administrative Circular 08-2008's continued applicability. The decision establishes important precedents on penalty computation for cybercrimes and the limits of prosecutorial appeals under double jeopardy principles.