QC prosecutors junk Trillanes cyberlibel case vs Roque
File photo from Trillanes media team
MANILA, Philippines — Harry Roque got himself out of one of the legal troubles he is facing in the country after the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office junked the cyberlibel complaint filed against him by former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV.
Roque posted on Wednesday the prosecutor’s resolution dated Oct. 9, 2024.
In the resolution, prosecutors cited insufficient evidence as the reason for dismissing the complaint against Roque, a former spokesperson for then-President Rodrigo Duterte.
READ: ‘Bring it on!’ Roque says after Trillanes filed libel, cyberlibel raps
Besides Roque, Trillanes also filed the same complaint against Byron Cristobal, or “Banat By, a vlogger and staunch supporter of the Dutertes, and Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), a media company that has been supportive of the Duterte family.
‘Secret deal’
Trillanes filed the complaints in May last year after Roque and Cristobal appeared in an SMNI program where they alleged that the former senator entered into a secret deal to sell and give away Panatag (Scarborough) Shoal during the Aquino administration.
In a statement, Roque welcomed the dismissal and reiterated that “not a single inch of the Philippines’ territory was lost” under the Duterte administration, which showed a softened approach to the territorial dispute.
“I thank the public prosecutors for applying the law on libel correctly,” said Roque, who is currently in the Netherlands awaiting the result of his asylum application.
‘Too early to celebrate’
“[Trillanes’] point was that I was defaming him when I said that we lost a territory after he was designated as special envoy to China,” Roque said in Filipino. “Isn’t it true? China’s decision to take over Scarborough Shoal was after he was appointed by President Aquino as special envoy to China.”
Roque recalled how then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, who is now President Marcos’ chief presidential legal counsel, also accused Trillanes of “bypassing official diplomatic channels and compromising national security, given the sensitive nature of the task assigned to him.”
Trillanes is expected to file a motion for reconsideration.
“It’s too early for him to celebrate. Hindi pa nga s’ya makauwi. Anyway, we will still be filing a motion for reconsideration today,” Trillanes said in a text message to the Inquirer.
