One Baligod case raffled, others await assignment

The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Thursday said one of the criminal cases against lawyer Levito Baligod and 18 former soldiers has been raffled to a regional trial court branch, while the remaining cases are still awaiting assignment before judges can act on possible arrest warrants.

Justice Undersecretary Ian Norman Dato said the DOJ has confirmed that 11 criminal informations have been filed.

"What we can confirm is that 11 informations have been filed. Only one RTC, in one of the four cities that I mentioned, has been raffled," Dato said during a press conference.

According to Dato, the cases filed in Caloocan City have been assigned to Regional Trial Court Branch 123.

The cases filed in Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City and San Juan City are still awaiting raffle to their respective trial court branches.

"In Caloocan City, it's before Branch 123. In the other cities—Las Piñas, Muntinlupa and San Juan City—it is awaiting raffle to a particular branch," he said.

Dato stressed that the issuance of arrest warrants now rests solely with the courts.

He explained that once a case is assigned to a branch, the judge must personally determine whether probable cause exists before deciding whether to issue a warrant of arrest.

Dato added that all the offenses charged are bailable.

He said the recommended bail is ₱18,000 for each accused in the perjury cases and ₱10,000 for each accused in the cyberlibel cases.

Earlier, the DOJ confirmed that the criminal informations were filed before regional trial courts in Caloocan City, Las Piñas City, Muntinlupa City and San Juan City.

The cases stem from complaints filed by former senator Antonio Trillanes IV, Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima, Fr. Flaviano Lopez Villanueva, Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio P. Catapang Jr. and National Security Adviser Eduardo M. Año over alleged defamatory statements contained in a joint sworn statement, press conferences, interviews, social media posts and other online publications.

Baligod faces multiple counts of cyberlibel, while the 18 former soldiers have been charged with multiple counts of cyberlibel and perjury.