18/04/2021
Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code defines libel as a public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status or circumstance tending to discredit or cause the dishonor or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead.
Thus, the elements of libel are:
(a) imputation of a discreditable act or condition to another;
(b) publication of the imputation;
(c) identity of the person defamed; and,
(d) existence of malice.