FORMER Vice President Jejomar Binay on Tuesday praised the Justice Department’s decision indicting Senator Antonio Trillanes IV for libel over the accusations he hurled against him in 2015.
State prosecutors approved the filing of the libel case before the Makati City Regional Trial Court, and after finding probable cause in the complaint filed by Binay against Trillanes.
Binay’s spokesman Joey Salgado said the decision to indict Trillanes for libel only confirmed that the Senate hearings were not in aid of legislation.
“It confirms what we have been saying all along: that the Senate hearings were in aid of political demolition, not legislation,” Salgado said in a statement. “©”©
“Senator Trillanes hid behind his parliamentary immunity in order to pollute the people’s minds with his lies as part of a well-orchestrated job against Vice President Binay.” “©
Salgado said the prosecutors’ decision also exposed Trillanes as “a fake crusader against fake news,” which apparently began as early as 2015 “and Senator Trillanes was its pioneer.””©”©
“It seems Senator Trillanes was the one spreading fake news since 2015. He deserves the unflattering title father of fake news in the Philippines,” Salgado said.”©”©
A Justice Department resolution dated Oct. 9, which was signed by Senior Assistant State Prosecutor Edwin Dayog and approved by Senior Deputy State Prosecutor Richard Anthony Fadullon, says Trillanes issued malicious statements published in an online news site “defaming, maligning the reputation and causing dishonor to Binay.”©”©”©
The department also ruled that malice was established and these were not covered by parliamentary immunity. “©
The department indicted Trillanes for libel in February last year based on a separate complaint filed by Binay’s son, former Makati City mayor Jejomar Erwin Binay.
In April 2015, Trillanes accused the elder Binay of allegedly bribing two Court of Appeals magistrates to stop his suspension order by the Office of the Ombudsman.
The Makati RTC is conducting hearings on the libel case filed by the younger Binay.