Quiboloy’s libel complaint against Pacquiao junked

(FILE) Pastor Apollo Quiboloy (left) and former senator Manny Pacquiao.

MANILA, Philippines — The Davao City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the libel complaint filed by Pastor Apollo Quiboloy of the Kingdom of Jesus Christ church against former Senator Manny Pacquiao.

In his six-page resolution dated October 12, Prosecutor Jose Charito Cortez said Quiboloy’s complaint was dismissed for insufficiency of evidence.

According to the resolution, Quiboloy claimed that Pacquiao uttered statements that were made “purposely to malign, discredit, insult, and assassinate his character to his congregations and to the general public.”

“The complainant, in this case, failed to present sufficient proof of actual malice,” the ruling stated.

Cortez, in his resolution, said remarks directed against a public figure are privileged communication.

“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 indorsements to known government personalities during elections, evangelical missions, as well as to his commentaries on certain TV programs,” the resolution added.

Pacquiao’s camp said they received the resolution last October 12.

“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,” Ian Vincent S. Ludovice, one of Manny Pacquiao’s lawyers during the presidential campaign, told INQUIRER.net in a text message.

“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,” Ludovice added.

Earlier, the Makati Prosecutor’s Office also dismissed a cyberlibel complaint filed by Pacquiao against Quiboloy.

/MUF