Actress Rufa Mae Quinto in National Bureau of Investigation custody. Screenshot from a video by Zyann Ambrosio, ABS-CBN News

MANILA (UPDATED) — The first full week of 2025 saw celebrities filing or facing suits, with some being allowed to go home, others promising more cases to come, and others seeming to relish the prospect of a court battle.

RUFA MAE QUINTO, NERI NAIG MIRANDA FACE SECURITIES REGULATION CODE CASE

Actress Rufa Mae Quinto flew back to Manila this week to surrender to the National Bureau of Investigation and face a case of alleged violation of the Securities Regulation Code related to a skincare company that she endorses and that the Securities and Exchange Commission warned as early as September 2023 was not authorized to accept investments.

Quinto spent the night of January 8 in NBI custody but was able to post bail — P1.7 million for 14 counts of alleged violation of the SRC — and enter a “not guilty” plea before Pasay Regional Trial Court Branch 111.

“Wala tayong dapat ikatakot kasi kung tayo naman ay innocent, walang ginagawang, eh justice will prevail. And justice to all mankind…because I’m kind,” she told media with signature humor while in detention as she stressed that she was not involved in the business side of the skincare company.

(We have nothing to be afraid of if we are really innocent and not doing anything wrong. Justice will prevail. And justice to all mankind, because I am kind.)

Freed on bail, Rufa Mae Quinto breaks down in tears

The court also granted bail in the same amount to celebrity and entrepreneur Nerizza Naig Miranda — Quinto's co-accused in the case who was arrested late last November.

Quinto was abroad at the time and said the case prompted her to have her legal team check if she had been implicated since she was among the skincare company's endorsers. 

SEC explains Neri Naig case: 'Siya ay naghikayat ng mga investments'

Miranda's arraignment, which was supposed to happen last Thursday has been pushed back due to pending motions.

Her legal team had questioned her arrest, saying she had not received any notices and did not get the chance to answer allegations during preliminary investigation. 

“Ito po ay constitutional right ng bawat akusado, kung saan sila ay dapat nakapag-participate sa level ng piskalya," lawyer Robert Labe, representing the complainants in the case, told Teleradyo Serbisyo in early December, when the court granted Miranda's motion to quash — or void — the warrant for her arrest and ordered her released from jail.

(That is part of the constitutional right of each accused, for them to participate at the prosecutor's level)

Why did court order Neri Naig’s release? Are her legal woes over?

"The reinvestigation will provide an opportunity for Neri to respond to the allegations against her," Miranda's legal team said, adding they hope the proceedings will clear her of involvement in the case.

VIC SOTTO FILES CYBER LIBEL COMPLAINT VS DARRYL YAP

Another comedian — also and actor and TV host — was in court this week, to file a cyber libel complaint and to seek P35 million in damages for "malicious and defamatory statements" in the trailer for Darryl Yap's "The Rapists of Pepsi Paloma."

Vic Sotto, who was among those the dancer and singer accused of rape in 1982 in a complaint that was later withdrawn, said he had not  been consulted about the movie.

Paloma — born Delia Smith — was found dead, reportedly by suicide, in 1985.

"Marami pong nagtatanong kung anong reaction ko noong lumabas itong issue. Ako'y nanahimik. Wala naman akong sinasagot…. Ito na po yun. Ito na po yung reaction ko," he told reporters after filing the complaint.

(Many people have been asking for my reaction, and this is it. I kept quiet, I did not say anything. This is it. This is my reaction.)

"Malaya ang sinuman na magsampa ng reklamo, para mas maging malinaw ang totoo. Dahil sa huli, Katotohanan lang ang depensa sa lahat ng Katanungan," Yap said in response. 

(It is anyone's right to file a case so the truth will become clear. In the end, truth is the only defense against all questions.)

'Res judicata': Assistant dean reacts to Vic Sotto lawsuit vs Darryl Yap

The controversial director has also asked Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court Branch 205 to issue a gag order on Sotto and his legal team.

Yap said disclosure of materials he will submit to the court would restrict his freedom of expression and could affect the film's release and potential performance.

Darryl Yap's camp asks court to issue gag order vs Vic Sotto

FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION

UP College of Law senior lecturer Oliver Xavier Reyes said that the virality of online content has provided more incentive to pursue legal action against content creators because of the reach of the material and the speed that it spreads.

"Some incidents na dati palalampasin lang ng tinamaan would end up being litigated," he told ABS-CBN News in an online exchange.

(Some incidents that would have otherwise been let pass would end up being litigated)

He said wider public attention on these cases can help the public know more about their obligations and limits on posting online. 

"However, because of the focus of threats or liability in the reporting of these cases, the constitutional right to freedom of expression may sometimes be downplayed or overlooked," Reyes, who teaches constitutional law, said.

He added the threat of litigation, and the emphasis in media coverage of it, could "weaponize" it and intimidate the public from speaking out about a topic.

Freedom of expression, press freedom, and rights advocates have long called for the decriminalization of libel.

They want defamation to be handled as a civil matter because of how criminal libel has been used to harass and silence journalists and dissenters.

Lawyer Cecilio Duka, assistant dean of the University of Makati College of Law told Teleradyo Serbisyo this week that freedom of expression is not absolute.

“May tinatawag na karapatan ng pamamahayag pero kung ang karapatan ay nakakasira naman sa reputasyon o imahe ng iba pa, doon natatapos ang karapatan,” he said.

(There is freedom of expression but if that right destroys the reputation or image of another, that is where the right ends.)

ACCESS TO JUSTICE IN THE PHILIPPINES

Apart from the typical interest in celebrities' lives, following court cases they are involved in also provides the public a peek into the justice system, lawyer Josa Deinla, secretary-general of the National Union of People's Lawyers said.

"They expose deep inequalities in access to justice. Celebrities, by virtue of their fame and resources, are often able to secure legal counsel and navigate the court system more efficiently, while many ordinary Filipinos face systemic barriers, primarily lack of legal aid," Deinla told ABS-CBN News in an online exchange.

She said that celebrity cases can turn private disputes into matters of public interest, which helps illustrate how courts can serve as a mechanism to resolve conflicts and "reinforce important societal values and democratic principles."

These cases can help emphasize the importance of due process and the presumption of innocence, she said.

"But it is also a chance to reflect on the gaps in our justice system—gaps that disproportionately impact the marginalized and those with limited means," she said, adding high-profile cases highlight the need for reforms in the justice system to make it "truly accessible to all, not just a privilege for those with influence."

The Philippines ranked 99th of 142 countries on the World Justice Project's Rule of Law Index in 2024, up one place from the previous year amid what WJP said was a trend of weakening rule of law in most countries.

The country's lowest scores were in Fundamental Rights (118th of 144) — which includes equal treatment, the observance of due process, and "effective" guarantees of fundamental rights to life and security, of opinion and expression, and of assembly and association — and in Criminal Law (124th of 144).

WJP said the index looks into whether the criminal investigation system is effective, whether the adjudication system is timely and effective, whether the system is free from corruption and government pressure and if due process of the law and the rights of the accused are observed.

The World Justice Program noted that an effective criminal justice system is "a key aspect of the rule of law, as it constitutes the conventional mechanism to redress grievances and bring action against individuals for offenses against society." — from reporting by Jeff Caparas, David Dizon, Ched Rick Gatchalian, Paige Javier, Jamaine Punzalan, ABS-CBN News