PERSONALITIES associated with former president Rodrigo Duterte, including former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque, media network Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), hosts and vlogger Byron Cristobal, also known as ‘Banat By’ will face charges of libel and cyberlibel filed by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
Trillanes also filed cyber libel complaints against other social media account holders or “trolls” before the National Bureau of Investigation.
“Ito ang ating pushback sa kanilang pag disseminate ng false information at mga fake news laban sa atin,” he said.
Trillanes said he believes he has a chance of getting justice now compared to when Duterte was in power.
In his complaint affidavits, Trillanes alleged that Roque and Cristobal repeatedly said that he had sold and given away Scarborough Shoal to China when he held backchannel talks with it during the 2012 standoff.
“Despite my repeated explanations on what transpired during my backchannel talks, including official statements from incumbent government officials during Senate hearings conducted that we did not lose Scarborough, these pro-Duterte personalities continue to harp on this fake news to deflect blame from the Duterte administration,” he said.
He also filed libel and cyber libel complaints against a certain Guillermina Barrido and SMNI hosts and executives MJ Mondejar, Admar Villando, Ludevija Ayang, and Marlon Rosete.
This was for publishing an interview in which Barrido repeatedly claimed that Trillanes had tried to convince and pay her to be a fake witness against Duterte when the latter was President.
During the Duterte administration, Barrido had filed a kidnapping case against Trillanes, which was eventually dismissed by the Department of Justice.
Meanwhile, Trillanes’ cyber libel complaints filed before the NBI were against the owners of the social media accounts Mr. Realtalker or Lods Chinito (with Tiktok handles @chinitorealtalker and @chinitotisoy01); Melagin Nastor Evangelista or CATASTROPHE (with X handle @gurlbehindthisb); JoeLas (with X handle “@j_laspinas), Michael Gorre or KampilaBoy (with X handle @KampilanBoy); Hampaslupang Mandaragat (with X handle @JohnAmasa2); and X handle @SaraAll2028.
