Sunday, December 02, 2007 Ex-IBP head won’t wait for warrant, to post bail
A FORMER president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) Cebu City Chapter will post bail on Monday even if there’s no warrant for his arrest yet.
Lawyer Alex Tolentino is facing a complaint for grave oral defamation after he accused PO2 Jerybel Lerio of planting evidence against his clients.
The case was raffled to Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) Branch 1 handled by Judge Monalila Tecson.
Tolentino told Sun.Star Cebu he will post the P6,000 bail early with his lawyer Gloria Lastimosa-Dalawampu.
“Why should I wait for a warrant? They might arrest me on a weekend to let me spend a night in jail,” said Tolentino.
Tolentino said they filed a motion for reconsideration on the ruling of Cebu City Assistant Prosecutor Aida Sanchez. But the prosecutor allegedly did not consider their motion and filed the complaint in court.
Sanchez earlier ruled there was probable cause to charge Tolentino in court.
Oral defamation
“The crime of planting evidence is punishable with death, hence to accuse a person of such offense is definitely a case of grave oral defamation,” read the resolution.
But she dismissed the complaints for light threats and obstruction of justice against Tolentino and recommended that he be charged with unjust vexation.
The cases against Tolentino stemmed from accusations that he stole documents needed for the filing of charges against his clients last July.
Sanchez said that Tolentino couldn’t be charged for light threats just because he threatened to file a case against Lerio of the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau.
On the charge of obstructing justice, Sanchez said that while it is true that Tolentino took documents without permission, there was nothing on record to indicate he altered, suppressed or hid them.
In her affidavit, Lerio said Tolentino protested the filing of the cases against Emerita Bontuyan and Alma Ledamo for possession of illegal drugs.
She said Tolentino turned his ire on her and started berating her for no apparent reason. (KNT)
