Manila: The Presidential Task Force on Media Security (PTFoMS) has expressed serious concerns about the unjust vexation charges brought against Bacolod-based journalist Marchel Espina, the former editor-in-chief of SunStar Cebu. These charges stem from an opinion piece published by the community newspaper in December 2024.

According to Philippines News Agency, Espina voluntarily surrendered to the Philippine National Police Criminal Investigation and Detection Group-Negros Island Region Field Unit. She subsequently posted a bail of PHP6,000 at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) on Friday. The PTFoMS, in a statement released on Saturday, voiced its support for Espina and the four other individuals charged, alongside various media organizations and press associations that have expressed concerns over the incident.

The complaint was filed by a district supervising minister of a religious group, who alleged that the opinion piece published in SunStar Cebu caused him annoyance, irritation, torment, distress, and disturbance. The Batangas City RTC Branch 1 issued a warrant of arrest on July 13.

PTFoMS emphasized, "While it is within a person's right to pursue legal remedies, laws must never be weaponized to suppress journalists from performing their professional duties as truth-tellers and reporting on matters of public concern." They further highlighted the necessity of balancing the exercise of legal rights with constitutional guarantees of freedom of expression and the press.

Espina, who also consults for the global media development program WAN-IFRA Women in News, expressed her commitment to addressing the allegations through proper judicial channels. She highlighted the case's importance in raising concerns about the use of criminal complaints against journalists and its potential chilling effect on press freedom.

This incident marks the second time this year that a Bacolod-based journalist has faced similar charges. Earlier, Rappler contributor and Hapi FM radio announcer Erwin Delilan was arrested twice on charges of unjust vexation, following his satirical poem on Facebook criticizing public officials in the wake of Typhoon Tino's devastation in November 2025.