Dispatch from Crame No. 515:
Sen. Leila M. de Lima on the arrest of Rodel Jayme, a misplaced sense of priority on the part of DOJ

If it is true that the arrest and indictment of Rodel Jayme is a DOJ initiative, then we mourn the loss of DOJ's sense of priority and mission. The arrest of Jayme is not an act of justice but an unfortunate attempt at winning brownie points from Pres. Duterte by the current DOJ Secretary, something his predecessor has gained notoriety of.

It appears from the series of events that the intent is to silence "Bikoy" and prevent any further exposé on the First Family. However, the authorities did not know who "Bikoy" is so they tried the next foolish thing and arrested Jayme, who happened to share the videos, like countless other curious and concerned citizens. The problem is that only the content creator, in this instance "Bikoy", can be charged with libel according to the Supreme Court, assuming his statements were untrue.

And since Jayme cannot be held liable for libel, the NBI charged him of inciting to sedition. First of all, Jayme is not the author of "Ang Totoong Narcolist" which alleges that members of the First Family and Bong Go are involved in illegal drug trade. Second, by virtue of the Supreme Court ruling on cybercrime, mere sharing of content does not make Jayme liable.

Even assuming that Jayme is an author, seditious libel only refers to content that is meant to "induce people to resort to illegal methods other than those provided by the Constitution", according to the Supreme Court. My understanding is the videos are a plea to our law enforcements and justice institutions to conduct official investigations rather than perform extra-constitutional acts.

Now, the internet trolls are already spreading lies linking Vice President Robredo to Jayme. It's frightening to see how fast these trolls operate. This is the cybercrime that necessitates action from our DOJ and I hope that our DOJ and NBI can go after these trolls with the same zeal as they have against "Bikoy".

Ano ba ang nangyayari sa ating DOJ? Ito ba ay isang tanggapan lamang upang pigilan ang malayang pagsasalita, pagbatikos at pamamahayag laban sa Pangulo at sa kaniyang mga kaibigan? Is the DOJ an agent of justice or injustice? Bakit napakahalaga na patahimikin si "Bikoy" na mismong DOJ Secretary ang humahawak sa kaniyang kaso? Bakit hindi pagtuunan ng pansin ng DOJ Secretary ang libo-libong EJK na hanggang ngayon ay walang tigil na nagaganap sa bansa dahil walang kinakasuhan na salarin ang DOJ? Bakit hindi pa nila pagtuunan ng pansin ang daan-daang higit na mahahalagang kasong nakabinbin sa DOJ na hindi laban sa mga kritiko ng Pangulo?

Panahon na siguro para muling magsiyasat ang DOJ sa kaniyang sarili at tuparin ang tunay nitong mandato sa halip na maging bulag na tagasunod ng Pangulo.