“His libel case is something he does not deserve, for he spoke the truth, and there was no malice in pointing out mistakes in published materials.”
CEBU CITY — Criticizing a publicly-produced cookbook over inaccuracies got food heritage documentarist and advocate John Sherwin Felix sued for cyberlibel.
The book was released during the Filipino Food Month celebration in April 2025. Felix received a copy of the book on September 16 of that year. Skimming through his copy, he told Bulatlat that he immediately noticed mistakes. “Not just two or three, more than a dozen actually,” he said.
Felix is confident about this. He is the founder of Lokalpedia, a visual archive of Philippine food and heritage. He documents local ingredients that are artisanal, overlooked, and even endangered. “[Lokalpedia] is my passion project, and perhaps my love letter to the Philippine cuisine,” Felix said in an earlier interview.
When he realized that the book, published by the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) with over 2,000 copies meant for general circulation, contained errors, he was surprised that no one commented on its cultural and scientific inaccuracies.
And as a heritage documentarist, he saw the need to talk about it publicly, especially for a book which claims to be a compilation of regional dishes meant to preserve Filipino culinary culture. “This is an official publication under a government agency, and people will treat them as bible truth as they are expected to give accurate information,” he said.
When he did, the book’s author alleged Felix committed libel, a violation under Republic Act 10175, otherwise known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The book and its case
The book Kayumanggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors and Cooking Traditions, had over 150 recipes and was published through DTI’s publishing grant, Malikhaing Pinoy Program (MPP).
“Kayumaggi: A Kaleidoscope of Filipino Flavors” book by Jam Melchor.
Its author, Jose Antonio Miguel “Jam” R. Melchor, alleged Felix to have disseminated “malicious imputations” against him. He cited 14 of Felix’s Facebook posts in his personal account and in Lokalpedia’s Facebook page.
Felix said that he also communicated the “glaring errors” to DTI through email sent on September 18, 2025. He received no response. On that same day, he noticed he was blocked by the author on social media.
It took more than six months for someone to notice these errors. “There were cultural inaccuracies, scientific inaccuracies, even errors in the origins of the names of dishes,” he told Bulatlat.
One obvious error he noticed was about Sardinella Tawilis, freshwater sardine endemic to Taal Lake. “In the book, it’s listed as commonly found in freshwater lakes and rivers in the Philippines,” he told Bulatlat.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature added tawilis to its red list of threatened species in 2018, classifying the economically important fish as endangered. Similarly, Earth Journalism Network reported the alarming status of Tawilis being endangered as it can only be found in Taal Lake.
In defense of Felix’s criticism
Cultural workers, people’s organizations, scholars, and journalists expressed dismay over errors in the book and stood with Felix on the cyberlibel case filed against him.
On March 11, 2026, the Cagayan Heritage Conservation Society community expressed their support for Felix in correcting the errors in the book, specifically the recipe of Pancit Batil Patung.
“His libel case is something he does not deserve, for he spoke the truth, and there was no malice in pointing out mistakes in published materials. From his Facebook posts, he has already exhibited the skills necessary for a food researcher,” their official statement reads.
“Sherwin has immersed himself with farmers, consumers, and chefs in exchange activities in Tuba, Benguet; volunteered during the Patikim Festival organized by farmers in North Quezon; contributed to the conceptualization of Gulay Pa More; and participated in many other collaborative efforts,” their statement reads.
John Sherwin Felix in frame with communities. Photo courtesy of John Sherwin Felix
Storytellers and environmental advocates Celine and Dennis Murillo also voiced support for Felix through a statement posted on the Gulay Na Facebook page.
“As archivists, documentarists, and storytellers, we must hold ourselves, our peers, and especially our institutions to the highest standards and demand accountability whenever necessary,” they wrote. “If we claim the responsibility of doing this work, we must also be prepared to defend it whenever and wherever it is called into question.”
Why cultural criticism matters
While Melchor claimed to have completed the entire manuscript of the book without government funding, a report by ABS-CBN said that public funds were used to print the books.
In a March 10, 2026 report by Inquirer.net, Melchor was appointed representative for Traditional Cultural Expressions by the DTI for the Philippine Creative Industries Development Council (PCIDC). He is involved in Filipino Food Month, which was established through Proclamation No. 469 as the founder of the Philippine Culinary Heritage Movement.
In his counter-affidavit, Felix denied committing libel. “They are valid criticisms of a public figure who has a reasonable expectation of exposure to such kind of commentary,” he said.
John Sherwin Felix talking about Durian. Photo courtesy of John Sherwin Felix
Felix cautioned the public to be vigilant with published books on literature and culture. “This is a national interest,” he said. “Our culture is our core as Filipinos so we need accurate documentation to give respect to the communities who own the knowledge and for future generations to rely on,” he added.
At present, his field and documentation works have been limited as he is tending to the legal case. “I want this cyberlibel to be dropped because it sends a message to the Filipino public: criticisms could get you in trouble,” he told Bulatlat in Filipino. (RTS, RVO)
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