Ex-cop cuffed for cyberlibel in Zamboanga Sibugay

PAGADIAN CITY, Zamboanga del Sur –– Police arrested on Tuesday a former policeman in Barangay Poblacion in Titay town of Zamboanga Sibugay for four cases of cyberlibel.

Louie Pangilinan Lanaja, 39, a discharged cop who recently resigned as dean of students’ affairs in one of the colleges in Zamboanga Sibugay province, was arrested at his Purok Sampaguita home in Barangay Poblacion for cyberlibel in connection with online attacks and slander allegedly against police personnel and government official, according to Police Colonel Tom Tuzon, regional director of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) in Region 9.

Lieutenant Colonel Cyrus Belarmino, CIDG chief in Zamboanga Sibugay, said the arrest was based on the warrants of arrest issued by Judge Jose Rene Dondoyano of the Regional Trial Court Branch 6 in Dipolog City for violations of Section 353 and Section 355 of Republic Act 10175, the law defining cybercrime. A bail bond of P60,000 has been recommended for Lanaja’s temporary liberty.

“This is the first time we served an arrest warrant against a discharged police officer for cyberlibel and the accused has been very cooperative,” Belarmino said.

In a phone interview, Lanaja said he was unaware that he committed online attacks against any of the personalities in Zamboanga del Norte.

“I was arrested Tuesday night at my house. I don’t know what’s the basis of the warrant,” Lanaja said. He added, however, that he was accused in 2017 of a similar case, but it was dismissed.

He said the same case was filed against him on March 20, but he did not receive any subpoena from the court because it was at the height of the enhanced community quarantine.

Lanaja said it appeared that this was the same case filed against him but added that he would cooperate with the authorities. “We are going to give a good fight here,” he said, adding that he knew who was filing the case.

Lanaja used to work as Police Officer 3 at the Zamboanga Sibugay provincial police office. He was honorably discharged in March 2015.

LZB