Pangilinan sues people behind 2 YouTube channels for cyber libel

MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Francis “Kiko” Pangilinan filed Friday cyber libel complaints against people behind two YouTube channels that have claimed in several videos that he had been physically abusing his wife, actress and singer Sharon Cuneta, and that she had filed a complaint against him.

Pangilinan said the videos posted by the YouTube channels Starlet and Latest Chika were all “false, have no factual basis and are intended to destroy or damage my reputation as a senator, public servant, and a husband to one of the most beloved celebrities in the Philippines.”

“More importantly, the libelous videos are meant to destroy the family. The libelous videos are not only intended to damage my relationship with my wife but are also meant to destroy my relationship with our children,” Pangilinan said in his two complaints.

The senator is asking the cybercrime division of the National Bureau of Investigation to track down the people behind Starlet and Latest Chika and to preserve and to search and seize related data.

Pangilinan also filed cybercrime complaints against Google Philippines country manager Bernadette Nacario over her alleged inaction on the videos. Google owns and operates YouTube.

He said that he has reported 82 videos for defamation, but Google has found 28 of them to be not defamatory, while 54 more are awaiting its decision.

“There is obviously a gap somewhere. This needs to stop. Social media sites need to step up and be more responsive to reports and more especially to legal complaints. These are harmful to individuals and to families,” Pangilinan said. — Xave Gregorio with a report from Kristine Joy Patag