DOJ chief alarmed by ‘procedural lapses’ in handling journo’s libel case

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MANILA – Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida on Thursday said his office will look into whether the prosecution committed procedural lapses in handling the lib...

Veteran journalist and author Philip Lustre Jr. (PNA photo by Joan Bondoc)

MANILA – Justice Secretary Fredderick Vida on Thursday said his office will look into whether the prosecution committed procedural lapses in handling the libel case of veteran journalist and author Philip Lustre Jr.

“That’s very alarming. We are collecting now all the pieces of evidence. All of the circumstances, we’re validating. We have a particular office for that,” Vida said in a press conference.

“Nagkaroon ba ng tamang diligence o tamang pag-aaral at tamang trabaho ang aming mga prosecutor? Nabigyan ba ng tamang pagkakataon? Paano nag-usisa ang aming prosecutor, tama ba ang address na binigay (Was there due diligence or correct search by our prosecutors, did our prosecutors study the case and the correct address?),” Vida said.

Lustre,72, was arrested last Oct. 24 at a news forum in Quezon City by local police, serving a warrant of arrest issued by a Davao City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 10 in connection with a cyber libel complaint filed by Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio’s husband, Manases.

The veteran journalist’s counsel claims he had not been given an opportunity by the prosecutor to answer the charges, as subpoenas were sent to the wrong address.

Lustre, who also authored Kill, Kill Kill, a book about alleged extrajudicial killings during the war on drugs of former president Rodrigo Roa Duterte, was granted temporary liberty after he posted PHP48,000 in bail. (PNA)

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