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| Pauline Basilides and Atty. Johnrey Villablagon |
A Filipina based in Australia feels vindicated with the Regional Trial Court in Imus, Cavite ruling in her favor recently on the cyberlibel case she filed against an influencer-business owner four years ago.
Pauline Claire Basilides told media in a conference how she suffered depression and anxiety after
Aira Jane Lopez Barredo a.k.a. Ayyang of Miss Ayyang Thai Beauty Shop smeared her reputation online.
The two met in 2020 as distributors of the same skincare brand. They became friends---but briefly.
According to Pauline, Ayyang started posting live streams and Facebook posts in 2021 accusing her of scamming. This went on for three months.
“My loyal customers canceled orders, my online business suffered, and my pregnant cousin who helped with the business experienced stress-related complications. My world collapsed,” Pau was quoted to have said in a report by Stephanie Mayo published in Daily Tribune. “I couldn’t sleep, experienced anxiety, cried often, and had repeated breakdowns.”
But what prompted Aira's posts? Pau claimed it happened after she lent her brand-new car to the influencer.
“As a friend, I wanted to support her because she told me she was being mocked for driving a truck. I offered her to use our new car, brand new and barely used, as long as she took care of it," Pauline said.
Few weeks later, Ayyang got into a vehicular accident and she called up Pauline, who handled the insurance requirements.
But when Pauline sent Ayyang the damage list and insurance quotation, Aira "reacted hysterically."
From there, their relationship went downhill. Pauline filed the cyberlibel complaint against Ayyang in December 2021.
Pauline's lawyer, Atty. Johnrey Villablagon, said the penalty levied on Aira was P40,000.
"It may seem small, but winning cyberlibel cases in the Philippines is extremely rare. Most cases are dismissed or settled out of court, so this is a meaningful victory," he said.
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