Trillanes files libel, cyber-libel cases vs Roque, others

Former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV on Tuesday has filed several libel and cyber libel cases before the Quezon City Prosecutor's Office against pro-Duterte personalities and social media account holders, including former presidential mouthpiece Harry Roque, the media network Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI); and vlogger Byron Cristobal, also known as Banat By.

Trillanes, in an ambush interview said his decision to pursue a legal recourse comes after persistent online attacks and the dissemination of false accusations of the said personalities and media entity against him, particularly during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

In separate complaint affidavits, Trillanes charged Roque and Banat By for accusing him of selling and giving away of the Scarborough Shoal to China during his backchannel talks in 2012.

"Despite my repeated explanations on what transpired during my backchannel talks, including official statements from incumbent government officials during Senate hearings conducted that we did not lose Scarborough, these pro-Duterte personalities continue to harp on this fake news to deflect blame from the Duterte administration," Trillanes explained.

Meanwhile, Trillanes filed libel and cyber libel charges against a certain Guillermina Barrido and some SMNI hosts and executives for publishing an interview in which Barrido repeatedly alleged that Trillanes tried to convince her and purportedly paid her to be a fake witness against then President Duterte.

Barrido earlier filed a kidnapping case against Trillanes during the Duterte administration which was eventually dismissed by the Department of Justice (DOJ).

Trillanes said he will also file criminal complaints before the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) against the social media account owners of Mr. Realtalker or Lods Chinito (with Tiktok handles @chinitorealtalker and @chinitotisoy01), Melagin Nastor Evangelista or CATASTROPHE (with X handle @gurlbehindthisb), JoeLas (with X handle @j_laspinas), Michael Gorre or KampilaBoy (with X handle @KampilanBoy), Hampaslupang Mandaragat (with X handle @JohnAmasa2), and X handle @SaraAll2028, for similarly spreading disinformation and libelous statements about him.

The filing of cases, according to the former senator, "is a push back against the culture of disinformation which propagated and was encouraged during the Duterte administration."