18 bagmen face new cyber complaint

ANOTHER lawmaker on Thursday filed a cyberlibel complaint against lawyer Levito D. Baligod and the 18 bagmen before the Marawi City Prosecutor Office over allegations of receiving cash-filled suitcases from former Rep. Elizaldy S. Co.

In a statement, Lanao del Sur Rep. Ziaur-Rahman A. Adiong said that he is also seeking a total of P25 million in damages for the alleged false accusations, made during a Feb. 24 press conference, harming his reputation.

According to the complaint-affidavit, the respondents are responsible for spreading “false and malicious allegations” that linked him and several lawmakers to a multibillion-peso kickback scheme related to flood mitigation projects.

Mr. Adiong is seeking at least P20 million in moral damages and P5 million in exemplary damages for the alleged severe mental anguish, damage to reputation, and social humiliation caused by the allegations.

Mr. Baligod did not immediately respond to a Viber message seeking comments.

“The accusations hurled against me by the respondents are absolute fabrications, total falsehoods, and malicious inventions,” he said in his affidavit.

“I have never met any of these 18 individuals, I have never received any suitcases of cash from anyone, and I have absolutely no involvement in the anomalous transactions they describe,” Mr. Adiong added. 

He also asserted that the complaint meets all the elements of cyberlibel due to the alleged false accusation of a crime, public dissemination of allegations on online platforms, and the presence of actual malice.

The lawmaker also said that the respondents deliberately expanded the dissemination of allegations through the media and online platforms.

The complaint stated that when the affidavit was filed with the Office of the Ombudsman on Feb. 26, Mr. Baligod allegedly told reporters that he will give only the soft copy of the affidavit because there are so many.

Due to this, Mr. Adiong said that the widespread dissemination of allegations on the internet was no accident.

He also opposed any possible reliance by the respondents on qualified privilege, since they themselves allegedly issued and disseminated the allegations through press conferences, media interviews, and online distribution. — Pexcel John Bacon