Quezon City Assistant Prosecutor Arnel Pabellar has dismissed the libel complaint filed against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and reporter Rambo Talabong in 2017 by Agrarian Reform Secretary John Castriciones, then an undersecretary at the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). In an eight-page resolution, Pabellar said the news reports Castriciones had taken issue with were “factually accurate” and “not in itself defamatory,” a requirement for libel. Pabellar said the stories about the DILG officials’ and employees’ push to have President Duterte dismiss Castriciones were fair and true, and were also reported by other news outlets.—MATTHEW REYSIO-CRUZ
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