Judge Demosthenes Magallanes of Bacolod City Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of Bacolod Councilor Alex Paglumotan and media practitioner Donard Duane Nojas for libel cases filed against them by Rep. Monico Puentevella and set the bail for them at P10,000 each.

In Criminal Case No. 07-30839 People of the Philippines vs. Alex Paglumotan, City Prosecutor Dennis Jarder accused Paglumotan of an intent to impeach the honesty, integrity and reputation of Puentevella during the May 12, 2007 “Miting de Avance” at the Bacolod Public Plaza by uttering defamatory words in the dialect, information on the case showed.

Using the English translation, Jarder quoted Paglumotan as saying “Somebody texted about the intermittent urination of the thief who is Money Ko, the Cong of Bacolod”.

He further quoted Paglumotan as saying, “Like a dwarf in daytime, as sunlight comes, like a twin of a white carabao, in the afternoon, like a monster and in the evening will become a fairy. This is his father, he wants this monster to win, whose theme song is ‘Papa-um Mamaw', he has so much ambition, this congressman thief to return to power”.

In Criminal Cases Nos. 07-30833; 07-30832; and 07-30831, Jarder also accused Nojas of the libel against Puentevella as anchorman in a TV program on April 19, 2007; as announcer in his radio program over DYHB on May 1, 2007, and in another radio program over DYRL on May 5, 2007.

The Prosecutor also quoted Nojas as saying “The formula of Monico in his asphalt scam is cash advance and overpricing equals kickback” and in his TV program “Clap your hands for the thief who became a millionaire, it's very painful that a U.P. graduate will be beaten by a thief”, and also “Decent, not an embezzler, not a thief, not a kleptomaniac, with no long fingernail, not involved in embezzlement, does not dip his fingers on the coffers of the government, one who is not bigheaded, one who did not change in personality if congressman of Bacolod”.

The prosecutor said Paglumotan and Nojas offended Puentevella with malice and intent to injure and expose the latter to public hatred, contempt, and ridicule.

In response, Paglumotan said he will post bail today though he believes that the case against him will not touch “first base” in court.

The warrant of arrest is merely part of the process and the case will eventually be dismissed since the alleged libelous statements were made during a political campaign, Paglumotan said.

He added that the charges against him were plain and simple political harassment.

Nojas, on the other hand, said he is studying two options – to file a motion to suspend the arrest warrant or to post bail.

A law student, Nojas said the warrant of arrest is highly questionable as his lawyers have filed a motion for reconsideration with the City Prosecutor's Office. There seems to be a “powerful hand” behind all these, he added.

Nojas said he is 100 percent sure of acquittal on the three counts of libel against him, as eight were already dismissed outright by the court.*NAB

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