Mike Defensor, kinasuhan ng cyber libel ni Mayor Joy Belmonte
Kinasuhan ng cyber libel ni Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte si Quezon City mayoralty candidate at AnaKalusugan party-list representative Michael Defensor.
Ito ay dahil sa post ni Defensor na ayon kay Belmonte ay lagpas na sa boundary ng free speech o malayang pamamahayag.
Isa sa mga pinagbasehan sa kaso ni Belmonte ang “Baklas army” na nagtanggal ng campaign materials.
Sa kaparehong post, tinawag din ni Defensor si Belmonte na “mapanghati, mapanira, kasuka-suka, at kapit-tuko sa kapangyarihan.”
Nag-post din si Defensor na may isang empleyado sa Quezon City Hall ang magsasampa sana ng kaso sa Office of the Ombudsman laban kay Belmonte dahil sa umano’y “overpriced ayuda”.
Palit-ulit na ipinupukol ni Defensor kay Belmonte ang naturang isyu kahit may paglilinaw na ang fact-checking organizations, at maging ang Commission on Audit (COA) na walang iregularidad.
Ayon kay Belmonte, ang mga post ni Defensor ay “libelous, malicious, false, at fraudulent” at kailangan nang legal na aksyon.
“I don’t usually look at Facebook pages, especially if I know that they would be of no use or benefit. In truth, as soon as he [Defensor] decided to run for Mayor, we already knew that he would engage in the kind of behavior he is now displaying,” pahayag ni Belmonte.
“Sometime in early February, however, I was informed by a concerned citizen that his official posts were already libelous. When I finally read them, I confirmed that these were no longer acceptable nor tolerable, and legal lines were crossed,” pahayag ni Belmonte.
Sinabi naman ni Quezon City Legal Officer Atty. Niño Casimiro na tama ang hakbang ni Belmonte.
“There is no question that all elements of the crime of Libel in relation to the Cybercrime Act of 2012 are present: there is an imputation of a crime, vice or defect in the posts; they were irresponsibly made public with unconscionable malice and with full knowledge that they are false; and were purposely made to cause the dishonor, discredit, and destroy the reputation of Mayor Joy Belmonte. While being disrespectful and ungentlemanly is not necessarily a crime, a sitting Congressman should know that there is a law punishing such behavior when it goes too far,” pahayag ni Casimiro.
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