MANILA, Philippines — The mother of a student at an international school is facing a criminal complaint for two counts of cyberlibel over alleged defamatory messages she posted against another parent in school-related WhatsApp groups.
The complaint was filed by Irene Cohen, the mother of a Grade 6 student of the British School of Manila (BSM), before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Santa Rosa, Laguna, against Vanessa Figueroa, the mother of another BSM student who is the classmate of Cohen’s son.
The case stemmed from an alleged altercation between their sons during a softball game on the school grounds on May 20, 2026.
Cohen claimed that Figueroa’s son punched her child, causing injuries to his nose that required medical attention. She said that despite the incident, she did not confront Figueroa or her son.
However, Cohen alleged that Figueroa later posted a lengthy message on June 21, 2026 in a WhatsApp group named “BSM Year 6 2025/2026,” which had 93 members composed of school parents.
According to Cohen, the post contained malicious statements that were intended to damage her reputation and portray her negatively before other parents.
The complaint stated that Figueroa accused Cohen of engaging in “character assassination,” “endless backbiting,” insulting other parents, and harassing her son by allegedly giving him “dagger looks” following the softball incident.
Cohen also claimed that the message accused her of ostracizing Figueroa’s son, spreading gossip, and compared her to a snake.
The complainant said the message was deliberately shared with other parents who were not involved in the dispute, causing harm to her reputation.
Cohen further alleged that Figueroa accused her of having a “history with other moms” and claimed she had “victimized” other parents who remained “meek and quiet.”
The complainant said she later discovered that the same message was posted in another group chat where she was not a member. She said the post was eventually forwarded to her by another parent.
Cohen submitted screenshots of the alleged WhatsApp messages as evidence supporting her complaint.
She argued that Figueroa’s actions constituted cyberlibel under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Cohen said the alleged statements were defamatory, malicious, and made public through large WhatsApp groups where she was identifiable as the subject of the posts.
She maintained that the circumstances pointed to Figueroa as the author of the messages.
“The totality of the foregoing circumstances engenders moral certainty and leads to the ineluctable conclusion that respondent Figueroa is indeed the author of the subject WhatsApp messages,” the complaint stated.
