Presidential son says Manases Carpio to charge the senator with libel, too
By Earlo Bringas
Eagle News Service
Former Davao Vice Mayor Paolo Duterte has filed libel charges against Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.
The charges filed before the Davao City Prosecutors Office on Thursday, Sept. 6, stem from what the presidential son said was Trillanes’ “defamatory publication, with malice, afterthought, and evil intent to malign, ridicule and harass me and my family during a teleradyo interview with Leo Lastimosa of DYAB Cebu on Sept. 8, 2017..”
According to Duterte, during the interview, Trillanes accused him of corruption and extortion involving Uber, and other companies regulated by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board, the Road Board and the Department of Public Works and Highways.
“Based on the foregoing, there is sufficient probable cause to indict and charge respondent for libel under Article 353, Revised Penal Code,” Duterte said.
A separate civil case is pending before the Davao Regional Trial Court in connection with the incident.
According to the presidential son, Manases Carpio, husband of presidential daughter Davao Mayor Sara Duterte, was also planning to file charges against Trillanes in connection with the same interview.
Trillanes is facing separate libel charges after he accused the younger Duterte and Carpio of being involved in the smuggling of a P6.4-billion shabu shipment last year.
The then-vice mayor of Davao resigned citing delicadeza, but not before vowing to take Trillanes to court for “viciously destroying my name, maligning my reputation and integrity, and for deliberately manufacturing lies and spreading black propaganda against me” for those statements he made to the media.
