Two charged with libel for messing up with guv's brother

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu Provincial Prosecutor’s Office has elevated before the Regional Trial a criminal complaint for libel filed by Barili Vice Mayor Marlon Garcia against two people who allegedly humiliated him on facebook.

Assistant provincial prosecutor Rustom Presas, Jr. has indicted Fleurelie and Victor Vergara of libel and recommended P10,000 bail each for their temporary liberty.

Presas found probable cause to charge them in court with libel over an alleged defamatory message posted on the social networking site, facebook, against Garcia.

The Vergaras called Garcia “scum-looking, slimebali, swindling pimp” in their post on facebook.

“This investigator believes that it was circulated to the public to some extent. If you call someone scum-looking, slimebali, swindling pimp or ikaw ang mahimung kataw-anan kay it would seem like mas bogo paka sa nagtaho nimu kay nisulod ka sa iyang bulsa, etc. even if it is fairly accurate and post it online, you maybe sued for making libelous statements,” Presas said.

The vice mayor, who is the younger brother of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, said that on February 22, 2011 the respondents conspired in making libelous statements against him and circulated it on the Internet through facebook.

Among the alleged defamatory message, according to Garcia, was “Do you know nga kung dili nimo tarungon ug verify. Ikaw ang mahimung kataw-anan kay it would seem like mas bogo pa ka sa nagtaho nimu kay nisulod ka sa iyang bulsa?”

The respondents, in their counter-affidavit, denied the allegations. They insisted that there was nothing libelous in their post.

“There is still no jurisprudence yet that cites and illustrates the acts as libelous and that the writing thereon in the facebook account is private in nature and it cannot be made public at all,” the respondents argued.

The respondents claimed that they are just victims of harassment by Garcia. – (FREEMAN)