Ex-SunStar editor surrenders, posts bail in unjust vexation case

Former SunStar Cebu and SunStar Bacolod editor-in-chief Marchel Espina (right) listens as police officers read her Miranda rights at the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)-Negros Island Region headquarters in Bacolod City on Friday, July 17, 2026. Espina voluntarily surrendered and posted bail after a Batangas court issued a warrant for her arrest in connection with an unjust vexation case stemming from an opinion piece published in SunStar Cebu in December 2024. She was accompanied by her lawyer, Abegail Bayona (center). (Contributed photo) BACOLOD CITY — Former SunStar Cebu and SunStar Bacolod editor-in-chief Marchel Espina voluntarily surrendered to authorities and posted bail on Friday, after a Batangas court issued an arrest warrant in connection with an unjust vexation case filed by a local leader of a religious group. The complaint stemmed from an opinion piece written by a contributor and published in SunStar Cebu in December 2024, when Espina was the publication’s editor-in-chief. Espina surrendered to the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG)–Negros Island Region in Bacolod City and posted bail of P6,000. Article continues after this advertisement READ: Tacloban journalist, activist denied bail She was accompanied by her legal counsel, lawyer Abegail Bayona. In a statement after her surrender, Espina said she was cooperating with the legal process. “I am voluntarily surrendering today because I respect the rule of law and the legal process. I intend to answer the allegations through the proper judicial channels,” she said. Espina noted that the complaint arose from an opinion article published during her tenure as editor-in-chief of SunStar Cebu. Article continues after this advertisement “As a journalist, I believe this case raises important concerns about the use of criminal complaints against journalists and editors in relation to their work. I also believe it has a chilling effect on press freedom,” she said. “Journalists and editors should never be intimidated or silenced for carrying out their professional duties in good faith. While every person has the right to seek legal remedies, the legal process should never be used to discourage independent journalism and reporting in the public interest,” she added. Article continues after this advertisement READ: PTFMoS denies claims cops harassed retired journalist, 79 Espina reaffirmed her commitment to responsible journalism and the defense of press freedom. Your subscription could not be saved. Please try again. Your subscription has been successful. She also thanked her lawyer, colleagues, the National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP), her family, friends, and others who, she said, “reached out and stood by me during this time.”/coa