SPECIAL envoy Ramon "Mon" Tulfo should be re-arrested for traveling overseas without permission from the court, the camp of former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre said.
In a letter to Philippine National Police Chief Oscar Albayalde, Aguirre's lawyer TJ San Luis said Tulfo did not seek permission from the court to travel abroad as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's entourage to China.
Tulfo, who is the Special Envoy for Public Diplomacy to China, is facing a libel case filed by Aguirre before Branch 46 of the Manila Regional Trial Court. He is out on bail.
The libel case is separate from the P200-million libel complaint filed by the former Justice secretary against Tulfo before the Department of Justice over the alleged "malicious, libelous and defamatory" columns that he wrote for The Manila Times and posted on his Facebook page since April.
Aguirre is seeking at least P150 million in moral damages and at least P50 million in exemplary fees and attorney's fees in that complaint.
Earlier, Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea also filed charges against Tulfo over several newspaper columns that accused him of sitting on an appeal for the claim of a government reward for one year and of asking for money through a third person for its release.
Tulfo also alleged that Medialdea has an "unholy alliance" with Sandra Cam of the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
According to San Luis, Tulfo's re-arrest would be based on Rule 114, Section 23 of the rules of court which says that an accused released on bail "may be re-arrested without the necessity of a warrant if he attempts to depart from the Philippines without permission of the court where the case is pending."
San Luis has also written Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines Zhao Jianhua to warn him about dealing with Tulfo, whom he said has more than 30 cases pending before various courts in the Philippines and whose "propensity to commit crimes explicitly reflects his true character and personality."
San Luis' letters were dated August 27. Both correspondence have been received by PNP Chief Albayalde and Ambassador Zhao Jianhua.
"We hope this request will merit your favorable consideration," the letters added. (PR)