Walden Bello’s camp urges dismissal of cyber libel raps filed by ex-Davao City exec

Vice presidential candidate Professor Walden Bello on Tuesday urged the prosecutor’s office to “immediately dismiss” the cyber libel complaints filed against him by former Davao City chief information officer Jefry Tupas.

In a press conference, Bello said he was just merely stating reports by the media that said Tupas attended a party at a beach resort in Davao de Oro in November 2021 that was raided by the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency (PDEA).

Some P1.5 million worth of party drugs were seized in the operation.

Tupas admitted to attending the party, but said she left after eating and before the raid that happened. A day after, she tendered her resignation and was "terminated from work" by Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte.

Bello further said that the cyber libel case filed against him could be a “precursor” of what might happen under the leadership of Duterte and her running mate Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.

“This is not only because of me. This is not only because of people who are competing with Marcos and Duterte in the campaign. This is also because of the interests of the media. You cannot allow yourself to be muzzled,” he said.

Bello also called on Duterte to “stop this silly game” that she is “playing” and instead show up in election debates where she could explain herself and her platforms.

During CNN Philippines’ vice presidential debate, Bello called Duterte a "coward like Bongbong Marcos" for refusing to face the public.

Sanlakas secretary Aaron Pedrosa then asked the prosecutor’s office to outright dismiss the “frivolous” criminal action against Bello.

“If Sara Duterte would like to confront Ka Walden, it must be in the political arena. We very well know the context of this libel case at wala pong maloloko dito [no one will be fooled by this]. Parang this is just a legal question. This is political, an attack on Ka Walden by Sara Duterte based on the context na si Sara Duterte ay nilalagay ni Ka Walden sa scrutiny. Of course, kailangan siyang ilagay sa scrutiny dahil tumatakbo siyang vice president eh [she needs to be under scrutiny because she is running for vice president],” Partido Lakas ng Masa senatorial bet Luke Espiritu added.

Bello’s camp said they have not yet received a copy of the complaint from the Davao courts or from Tupas’ lawyers. — BM, GMA News