CEBU CITY, Philippines — Former SunStar Cebu editor-in-chief Marchel Espina has secured temporary liberty after voluntarily surrendering to authorities and posting bail in connection with an unjust vexation case filed over an opinion article published during her tenure at the newspaper.
In a Facebook post on Saturday, July 18, Espina said her lawyer told her, “Laya ka na (you’re free),” after they managed to post bail minutes before the court’s 5 p.m. deadline on Friday, July 17.
Earlier that day, Espina surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group–Negros Island Region (CIDG-NIR) in Bacolod City after a Batangas court issued a warrant for her arrest.
READ: NUJP condemns criminal charges vs ex-news editor Marchel Espina
The case stems from an opinion article written by a contributor and published in SunStar Cebu in December 2024 while Espina was serving as editor-in-chief. A religious leader from Batangas filed the unjust vexation complaint.
