Negros Occidental journalist arrested over ‘satirical poem’

2026-02-17 - 09:26

CEBU, Philippines – Negros Occidental police arrested journalist Erwin “Ambo” Delilan on Monday, February 16, for unjust vexation in relation to a poem criticizing the provincial government’s actions in the aftermath of Typhoon Tino (Kaelmegi) in late 2025. This is the second time that Delilan was arrested on charges of unjust vexation during the year. The first was on January 19, which stemmed from a complaint filed by Negros Occidental Provincial Administrator Reyfrando Diaz II. “Yes, I must be candid, I was arrested by operatives of the Regional Anti-Cyber Crime Unit (RACU), Monday, February 16, but posted P6,000 bail (for 3 counts at P2,000/each) immediately,” Delilan said on his Facebook post on Tuesday, February 17. Based on the information filed before the Regional Trial Branch 62 in Bago City, Negros Occidental, the basis of the latest unjust vexation complaint was Delilan’s social media post on November 28, 2025, that “wilfully and unlawfully annoyed” and vexed private complainant Charina Magallanes Tan. Tan is the provincial information officer of Negros Occidental and executive assistant to Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose “Bong” Lacson. Delilan told Rappler on Tuesday afternoon that Tan is also a witness in his previous unjust vexation case. “They would like to demean me publicly by filing these [cases of] unjust vexation because they could not, not even prosecutors, prove the libelousness [of