Hontiveros sues witness, 6 others for cyberlibel
Sen. Risa Hontiveros formally filed on Wednesday cyberlibel complaints against former Senate witness Michael Maurillo, five social media personalities and a lawyer, accusing them of spreading a video in which Maurillo accused her of paying him P1 million to testify against Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC) leader Apollo Quiboloy, former President Rodrigo Duterte and his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte.
“What began as a solemn effort to protect victims of crimes has been twisted into a vile narrative of bribery and political manipulation intended to destroy me, personally and politically,” Hontiveros said in her complaint filed at the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Aside from Maurillo, also charged with libel under Article 355 of the Revised Penal Code in relation to Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 were lawyer Ferdinand Topacio and online personalities Bryan Cristobal alias Banat By, Jeffrey “Ka Eric” Celiz, Krizette Chu, Jose “Jay” Sonza and Alex Destor alias Tio Moreno.
According to Hontiveros, the five online personalities posted statements and content on social media that did not just draw public attention but also “actively spread false and damaging narratives in connection with my official actions as a senator.”
Serious risks
“The scale and reach of respondents’ posts and videos, when viewed alongside the political undertones that surround the public discourse, present serious risks to the integrity of the official proceedings and the accurate understanding of matters of national concern,” she added.
In a hearing conducted by a Senate committee headed by Hontiveros last year into alleged abuses within the Quiboloy-led KOJC, Maurillo testified that he escaped from the religious group in 2021 after suffering sexual abuse and exploitation.
But in the viral video uploaded on June 24 this year, Maurillo accused Hontiveros of forcing him to testify against the Dutertes and Quiboloy, claiming he was paid P1 million to do so.
Hontiveros had denied the allegation, saying that Maurillo reached out to her office on June 22 and June 23, just before the release of the video. She said he asked to be rescued, claiming that he had been kidnapped and was being held captive at Glory Mountain by the KOJC.
Last week, Hontiveros also filed a cyberlibel complaint at the National Bureau of Investigation to unmask and charge those behind Maurillo’s video. Named in her complaint were the Senate witness and Pagtanggol Valiente, the YouTube channel and Facebook page that uploaded the viral video.
She also called on the NBI to investigate vloggers who were allegedly spreading disinformation against her, including Cristobal, Chu, Sonza, Sass Rogando Sasot and Trixie Cruz-Angeles.
Enough proof
In a press briefing after she filed her complaint before the DOJ, Hontiveros said her legal team was confident there was enough evidence to support the cyberlibel accusation against Topacio and the five online personalities.
Topacio was implicated for a video on Facebook asserting that Hontiveros engaged in the “repeated and deliberate practice of bribing witnesses” to testify in Senate hearings and that she had a “supposed ‘pattern’ of giving money to witnesses in exchange for ‘favorable’ testimony.”
The other respondents echoed the same narrative in their respective posts.
In a statement, Celiz said Hontiveros’ complaint was an “attack against free speech and freedom of expression.”
Destor, for his part, said he did not upload or distribute the viral video, arguing that he just simply wrote a summary of Maurillo’s testimony.
