Ibinasura ng Davao City Prosecutor's Office ang kasong cyberlibel na isinampa ni Pastor Apollo Quiboloy kay dating senador at presidential candidate Manny Pacquiao.
"We are happy that the Office of the City Prosecutor in Davao City dismissed the case swiftly,” saad ni Atty. Ian Vincent S. Ludovice, isa sa mga abogado ni Pacquiao, noong Linggo, Oktubre 15.
“When we received the notice about Pastor Quiboloy’s complaint, I told Manny Pacquiao that this might be just related to the election and will just go away after it, especially that we have great lawyers in Davao City. True enough, the complaint was dismissed just a few months after the election and we thank the fair and speedy resolution of the Office of the Prosecutor of Davao City,” dagdag pa niya.
Ayon kay Prosecutor II Jose Charito Cortez II, hindi umano nakapaghain ng sapat na mga ebidensya ang kampo ni Quiboloy hinggil sa kaniyang mga paratang sa dating senador.
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Inireklamo ni Quiboloy ang mga binitiwang pahayag ni Pacquiao laban sa kaniya noon, sa kasagsagan ng halalan. Ayon kay Quiboloy, ang mga nasabi ni Pacquiao ay "purposely to malign, discredit, insult, and assassinate his character to his congregations and to the general public.”
Ayon naman sa resolusyon ni Cortez, ang mga nasabi ni Pacquiao kay Quiboloy ay "privileged communication" dahil isang public figure si Quiboloy.
"The complainant, in this case, failed to present sufficient proof of actual malice…"
"In this particular case, a complainant is a well-known private individual. He is not just a well-known individual in the City of Davao, rather he is also widely known all over the country due to his political endorsements to known government personalities during elections, evangelical missions, as well as to his commentaries on certain TV programs."
