THE camp of former vice presidential candidate Walden Bello slammed Justice Secretary Jesus Crispin Remulla for his "failure" to review and dismiss the cyber libel case filed by Vice President Sara Duterte's aide against Bello.
Lawyer Estrella Elamparo, Bello's lead counsel in Manila, said in a press conference in Manila on Monday, July 3, that Bello and his team filed a manifestation before the Department of Justice (DOJ), urging Remulla to resolve the petition for review on the case.
"The Secretary of Justice's failure to act on the merits of the petition, dismissing it on procedural grounds that have been shown to be false constitutes gross negligence which in effect robbed Dr. Bello of one of the legal remedies that every citizen deserves,” Elamparo said.
“The Department of Justice’s failure to act is patently unacceptable given Secretary Remulla’s grandstanding about the supposed efficiency of his department and further issuing circulars which highlight the respondents’ remedy of review by the Secretary," the lawyer said.
She added, "He should walk the walk and act on this important public interest case immediately.”
According to the manifestation forwarded to the media, Bello filed a petition for review with the DOJ on July 29, 2022. However, this was dismissed on August 31, 2022.
On September 15, 2022, the camp filed a motion for reconsideration. As of now, Remulla allegedly has not acted on it.
Bello's counsel, based on the manifestation, said the DOJ might have overlooked the “pertinent registry receipt and Affidavit of Service submitted along with the petition.”
Bello was arrested on August 8, 2022, over cyber libel charges. He posted bail worth P96,000 as recommended by the court.
The charges against Bello were filed by Jefry Tupas, the former public information officer of the Davao City Government during the Vice President's time as mayor. Two counts of libel were filed by Tupas.
The arraignment of Bello's case happened last January 26, 2023 at the Regional Trial Court in Davao City after the lapse of the 60-day period given by the court to allow the DOJ to review the petition.
In the arraignment, the trial court entered a plea of not guilty on his behalf after he refused to do so.
Bello earlier labeled Tupas’ cyber libel complaint as “politically motivated.”
Bello previously challenged Duterte in a debate during the 2022 election campaign to address the issues that hound the latter's governance as mayor for nine years.
But Duterte declined to participate in the debates and instead focused on attending political rallies.
Bello was declared persona non grata by the 19th Davao City for his statement during the CNN Philippines Vice Presidential debate.
Tupas, meanwhile, filed cyberlibel charges against Bello for accusing the former of being involved in a drug trade.
The Office of the City Mayor confirmed Tupas's resignation, but he was also terminated from her post after being involved in a drug raid on November 6, 2021 in Mabini, Davao de Oro.
Prior to her resignation, Tupas, in a message forwarded to the media confirmed that she was at the beach party in a resort in Barangay Pindasan, Mabini, Davao de Oro wherein P1.5 million worth of party drugs was confiscated by law enforcers.
Tupas confirmed her presence before the raid, which resulted in the arrest of 17 individuals for possession of illegal drugs. (RGL)