PRESUMPTION OF MALICE:

The law also presumes that malice is present in every defamatory imputation. Thus, Article
354 of the Revised Penal Code provides that:
Every defamatory imputation is presumed to be malicious, even if it be true, if no good
intention and justifiable motive for making it is shown, except in the following cases:
1. A private communication made by any person to another in the performance of any legal,
moral or social duty; and
2. A fair and true report, made in good faith, without any comments or remarks, of any
judicial, legislative or other official proceedings which are not of confidential nature, or of any
statement, report or speech delivered in said proceedings, or of any other act performed by
public officers in the exercise of their functions.
Paragraph 2 aforequoted refers to a qualifiedly privileged communication, the character of
which is a matter of defense that may be lost by positive proof of express malice on the part of
the accused. Once it is established that the article is of a privileged character, the onus of
proving actual malice rests on the plaintiff who must then convince the court that the offender
was prompted by malice or ill will. When this is accomplished the defense of privilege becomes
unavailing. [Santos v. Court of Appeals, No. L-45031, 21 October 1991, 203 SCRA 110,
114]
Prescinding from this provision, when the imputation is defamatory, as in this case, the
prosecution need not prove malice on the part of the defendant (malice in fact), for the law
already presumes that the defendants imputation is malicious (malice in law). The burden is
on the side of the defendant to show good intention and justifiable motive in order to overcome
the legal inference of malice.
In order to constitute malice, ill will must be personal. So if the ill will is engendered by ones
sense of justice or other legitimate or plausible motive, such feeling negatives actual
malice. [Aquino, Ramon C., The Revised Penal Code, Vol. III, Bk. II, 1997 Ed., citing
People v. de los Reyes, Jr., 47 OG 3569]
It is established doctrine that the malice that attends the dissemination of the article alleged to
be libelous must attend the distribution itself. It cannot be merely a resentment against a
person, manifested unconnectedly several months earlier or one displayed at a much later date.
HOW COMMITTED:
Under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code, libel may be committed by means of writing,
printing, lithography, engraving, radio, phonograph, painting, theatrical exhibition,
cinematographic exhibition, or any similar means.

PERSONS RESPONSIBLE:
Any person who shall publish, exhibit, or cause the publication or exhibition of any defamation
in writing or bysimilar means, shall be responsible for the same. The author or editor of a book
or pamphlet, or the editor or business manager of a daily newspaper, magazine or serial
publication, shall be responsible for the defamations contained therein to the same extent as if
he were the author thereof.
DEFENSES:
In every criminal prosecution for libel, the truth may be given in evidence to the court and if it
appears that the matter charged as libelous is true, and, moreover, that it was published with
good motives and for justifiable ends, the defendants shall be acquitted.
Proof of the truth of an imputation of an act or omission not constituting a crime shall not be
admitted, unless the imputation shall have been made against Government employees with
respect to facts related to the discharge of their official duties.
In such cases if the defendant proves the truth of the imputation made by him, he shall be
acquitted.
It is important to remember that any of the imputations covered by Article 353 is defamatory
and, under the general rule laid down in Article 354, every defamatory imputation is presumed
to be malicious, even if it be true; if no good intention and justifiable motive for making it is
shown. There is malice when the author of the imputation is prompted by personal ill-will or
spite and speaks not in response to duty but merely to injure the reputation of the person who
claims to have been defamed. Truth then is not a defense, unless it is shown that the matter
charged as libelous was made with good motives and for justifiable ends.