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ILOILO CITY — A city councilor here on Thursday posted bail for cyberlibel charges filed against him by a congresswoman.
Councilor Plaridel Nava secured temporary liberty after he posted a bail of P576,000 for 12 counts of cyberlibel under Republic Act No. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) at the Regional Trial Court Branch 90 in Quezon City.
The charges stemmed from cases filed by Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne Baronda, who was a subject of Nava’s ire since she returned to politics in 2019.
All of the cases were based on Facebook posts made by the city councilor who at the time was a private citizen after losing the vice mayoral race in 2019.
In his Facebook post on Thursday evening, Nava said he could not discuss the merits of the case but then proceeded to taunt Baronda.
“I cannot discuss the merits of the case by virtue of the sub judice rule. However, I can only say that Baronda filed the complaint because according to her she felt humiliated and embarrassed. In court, she has the burden to prove that these are all false and malicious without forgetting that truth is a valid and acceptable defense in libel,” Nava said.
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