CITY OF MALOLOS — San Miguel Mayor Roderick Tiongson filed a cyber libel case at the Bulacan Provincial Prosecutors Office on Thursday (January 12) against a former councilor in their town and a businesswoman.
Those charged are former town councilor and former barangay captain Melvin Santos, a resident of Barangay Camias of the aforementioned town, who is facing five counts of cyber libel, and businesswoman Mary Grace De Leon, a resident of Guillerma. Subdivision, Barangay Sta. Rita Matanda in the said town is facing 12 counts of cyber libel.
In the released statement by Tiongson, the complaint against Santos and De Leon was rooted in the series of social media posts and Facebook live by the two that attacked his personality such as accusations of stealing from the public treasury, murder, immorality and molestation of men.
According to Tiongson, he believes that an individual when entering politics or government, whether elected or appointed, should not be onion-skinned and should be open to all criticism and criticism of his office.
But he said the free press has a limit that if it is done to defame and trample on the dignity of a person without any basis, it should be given a competent punishment according to the law.
Because of this, Tiongson said that he was forced to file a case against Santos and De Leon because those who can read and watch their malicious statements can say that the two abused the right to the press that deliberately invites them to will watch by raffling off prizes on social media.
“I believe in the due process of law and my lawsuit they will prove their incessant slanders against me and I believe that justice will prevail against the abusers of the press like Santos and De Leon and this is just the beginning of the cases I will file against them,” Tiongson added. (UnliNews Online)
