Philstar.com deletes 2002 article on Wilfredo Keng
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 16) — Two days after Rappler CEO Maria Ressa posted bail for a cyber libel case filed against her by controversial businessman Wilfredo Keng, another news website deleted a story involving him for fear of a lawsuit.
In a statement, Philstar.com said that it had removed the article posted in 2002.
"In light of recent events, we removed the Aug. 12, 2002 The STAR article titled "Influential businessman eyed in ex-councilor's slay" from our platform. This was after the camp of Mr. Wilfredo Keng raised the possibility of legal action," Philstar.com said.
It added that while the article is nearly 17 years old, recent events have cast doubt on the scopes and bounds of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
"At this time, it is not clear if any live digital element on the article could be used against us," it said.
Philstar.com is the online arm of the STAR Group of Publications. It publishes content from The Philippine STAR broadsheet, Pilipino Star Ngayon, Freeman, Banat, and People Asia magazine.
Keng's name resurfaced into public consciousness after agents of the National Bureau of Investigation arrested Ressa on February 13 because of the libel case he filed against her over a year ago.
Keng filed the case in October 2017 based on an article published on Rappler titled "CJ using SUVs of 'controversial' businessmen" on May 29, 2012.
The libel suit cited the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, which became law four months after the contested article was published.
Ressa was arrested because the article was updated and published again on February 19, 2014. She is currently out on bail.
