Walden Bello confident with cyber libel case, says it is ‘totally unjustified’

Former vice presidential candidate Walden Bello said Wednesday he is confident about winning the cyber libel case filed against him by a former Davao City employee, adding that the charge is totally unjustified.

“We feel that this charge is totally unjustified. It has no basis in fact. And, you know, that we will come out on the winning side in the end because, you know, you cannot suppress the truth,” Bello said in an interview on ANC.

GMA News Online sought former Davao City chief information officer Jefry Tupas’ comment in a Viber message but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.

Bello was released from Camp Karingal on Tuesday after posting bail. He stayed overnight in the camp after he was apprehended at his residence in Quezon City on Monday afternoon in connection with the case filed by Tupas.

Bello earlier said in a Facebook post that Tupas was “nabbed at a beach party where she and her friends were snorting P1.5 million worth of drugs” when he was asking then-Mayor Sara Duterte to explain supposed “blots” on her record in Davao City.

Tupas, who admitted to attending the party, said she left after eating and prior to the operation that happened, where the Philippine Drug Enforcement Agency seized P1.5 million worth of drugs.

Asked if he has proof that Tupas was “snorting drugs,” Bello said the mention of Tupas was “briefly incidental” made in the context of Duterte at the time.

Bello also said he does not believe that he went overboard with the freedom of expression or freedom of speech.

“No. No. That was in the context of a political campaign in which what we were raising were questions about the mayor’s ability to be able to administer Davao in an appropriate way as mayor,” he said.

Meanwhile, he said he cannot apologize to the “camp that is bringing the suit of cyber libel against him.”

He reiterated that Vice President Sara Duterte is “the moving force” behind the case.

“Let’s face it. We were not born yesterday. We know that the mayor, running for vice president at that point was in fact the moving force behind this allegation of cyber libel,” Bello said.

“A person like Jefry Tupas would not have the courage to do this unless she was backed by big political force. And that is our point,” he added.

Duterte on Tuesday asked Bello to stop “obsessing” over her and to “stop blaming [her] for his fall from grace.”

In a statement that day, Duterte said her father, former President Rodrigo Duterte, had advised her as a child “never to listen to attacks hurled against our family.”

“And I took it to heart during my VP campaign. I never shared my spotlight with Walden Bello despite the offensives he launched against me. I was focused on drilling my education platform in all the rallies that I could muster. In fact, I have never filed a libel case in my life. Criticisms do not deserve even a backward glance because the accomplishments of Davao City under my leadership are already set in stone,” she said.

“Instead of deflecting blame, playing the victim of an imaginary case of political persecution, and dragging me into his legal woes, I suggest that Mr. Bello be reminded of the fact that a civilized and democratic society does not respect hubris,” she added.

At a DepEd press conference on Wednesday, Duterte’s spokesperson Atty. Reynold Munsayac reiterated Duterte’s request for Bello to leave her out of the case.

“Siguro opinyon lang ho ‘yan ni Mr. Walden Bello, no? Malinaw ho ‘yung statement ng ating vice president. ‘Wag na ho siya idamay ni Mr. Walden Bello sa issue na ito,” Munsayac said.

(Maybe that’s just the opinion of Mr. Walden Bello. The statement of our vice president is clear. She asked Mr. Walden Bello to leave her out of the issue.) 

Decriminalizing libel

Meanwhile, Bello said his case will show that cyber libel is a “very dangerous law,” adding that this is why the law must immediately be repealed by Congress.

“If we keep it in the boats, then we can be sure that it will be used time and again to repress the freedom of speech,” he said.

Bello’s running mate and former presidential bet Leody De Guzman, meanwhile, said the cyber libel law is the legalization for those with power to suppress their critics.

“Ang cyber libel law… ay legalisasyon. Ito ay legalisasyon ng mga mayaman na nasa gobyerno para supilin ang mga kritiko, ang mga kumokontro sa kanilang mga kapritso sa buhay,” he said.

For his part, Bello’s lead counsel, Luke Espiritu, said he requested the Department of Justice to dismiss the complaint even before the issuance of the warrant of arrest.

“And that petition for review is now pending with the office of Secretary Remulla. We must understand na itong laban an ito, it involves nothing less than our democracy, our right to impeach, be impeached, and our right to freedom of expression,” he said.

Espiritu urged Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla to exercise independence.

“Therefore, Secretary Remulla ang bola po ay nasa inyo ngayon. Dalawa po ang choices ninyo. Hahayaan na lang ba natin na ang ating demokrasya, ang ating kalayaan sa pamamahayag ay babahularain,” he said.

“And I really encourage Secretary Remulla to exercise the independence that is incumbent upon his office,” he added.

GMA News Online has reached out to Remulla but has yet to receive a response as of posting time. — RSJ, GMA News