LOCAL celebrity Jude Bacalso, a member of the LGBTQ+ community and former TV personality, has secured the dismissal of five criminal charges but now faces a newly recommended charge of grave slander by deed, which was not initially included.
Bacalso informed SunStar and Superbalita Cebu on Sunday, Jan. 26, 2024, that the five criminal charges filed against her in connection with a July 2024 misgendering incident have been dismissed. The charges included unjust vexation, grave scandal, grave threats, grave coercion and slight illegal detention.
“My legal counsel has procured a copy of the resolution from the prosecutor’s office after a preliminary investigation that is now concluded. We found out just today that all of the five criminal cases (unjust vexation, grave scandal, grave coercion, grave threats, and slight illegal detention) that were lodged against me were all dismissed, all in keeping with our narration of the facts,” Bacalso stated.
“This is the tangible vindication I was quietly waiting for after all these months,” she added.
Bacalso said that she had already posted bail on Jan. 17, with the amount set at P18,000. However, she now faces a newly recommended charge of grave slander by deed.
In a statement, Bacalso said her legal counsel obtained a resolution from the prosecutor’s office following the preliminary investigation.
“The resolution did, however, recommend the filing of grave slander by deed, which was not on the original docket. Since we were just informed of this, we have not had the time to craft a response to it,” Bacalso explained.
Background
The controversy stems from an incident on July 21, 2024, at a restaurant in a Cebu City mall. Bacalso allegedly forced a 24-year-old male waiter to stand in a “parade rest” position for nearly two hours after being addressed as “sir.” The encounter went viral on social media, sparking public outrage over the perceived mistreatment of the waiter.
Presiding Judge Bernadette Bisoc of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 6 issued a warrant for Bacalso’s arrest on Jan. 3, after finding sufficient grounds for indictment. Bacalso clarified that the arrest warrant was procedural and necessary for the court to gain jurisdiction over her person.
“As for the much-hyped warrant of arrest, there are two kinds: the one issued to me was not for a conviction for a crime but for the court to have jurisdiction over my person so that we may properly address this new development,” Bacalso stated. / CDF