SC upholds libel conviction of Drilon critic

ILOILO CITY—A critic of Sen. Franklin Drilon faces up to four years in prison after the Supreme Court upheld with finality his libel conviction for social media posts accusing the senator of corruption.

The Court of Appeals had upheld Iloilo blogger Manuel “Boy” Mejorada’s conviction by the Pasay City Regional Trial Court in 2017 on four counts of libel for his blog posts accusing Drilon of involvement in alleged irregularities in infrastructure projects in Iloilo.

The projects include the Iloilo Circumferential Road at Barangay Ungka in Pavia town, the Iloilo Convention Center and the Guimaras Iloilo Ferry Terminal project.