Cebuana Bambi Beltran is Deutsche Welle Freedom of Speech Award laureate

Maria Victoria Beltran, Cebuana businesswoman and filmmaker, received the Freedom of Speech Award from Deustche Welle. | Photo grabbed from Beltran’s facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebuana businesswoman and filmmaker Ma. Victoria “Bambi” Beltran has been named a laureate of the 2020 Deutsche Welle (DW) Freedom of Speech Award.

Beltran was part of the list of awardees from 14 countries released by DW on Wednesday, May 6, 2020.

DW is a German public international broadcasting company that has presented the Freedom of Speech Award annually to a person or initiative that has shown outstanding commitment to human rights and freedom of expression in the media since 2015.

“On April 19, Cebu-based artist Maria Victoria Beltran was jailed for a satirical Facebook post she had published in relation to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in Cebu City. The mayor called her post ‘fake news and a criminal act’ and threatened Beltran with imprisonment,” said DW.

Beltran was arrested after Mayor Edgardo Labella announced in his Facebook page that the police cybercrime unit was already trying to trace her whereabouts.

Read: Police arrest Cebuana entrepreneur accused of posting false information

The Cebuana artists posted on her Facebook page a satirical comment in response to the pronouncement of the Cebu City Health Department (CHD) that mass testing will be stopped in Sitio Zapatera.

This was later clarified by the Department of Health, saying that the mass testing will not be stopped but instead will be strategized.

Beltran was taken into custody on April 19, 2020, and she was not allowed to see her lawyers immediately.

Read: Beltran’s camp to fight back; promises counter charges vs Labella

She was later able to file for bail, but her camp will be filing countercharges against the mayor for allegedly violating her right to due process. /bmjo