NI NOEL ABUEL
‘Just a cheap publicity gimmick’.
Ito ang sinabi ni Anakalusugan party list Rep. Michael “Mike” Defensor sa inihaning cyber libel ni Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte kaugnay ng umano’y social media posts ng una na inakusan ang huli sa “Baklas army”.
“The complaint is silly and futile because Mayor Belmonte is an elected official, not a private individual. And she knows this,” ani Defensor, na tumatakbong alkalde at katunggali ni Belmonte sa local elections.
“Mayor Belmonte is obviously just trying to draw attention to herself. She is just after the extra publicity at my expense. Ako sinampahan nya ng cyber libel complaint. Papano na lang kaya ang mga ordinaryong residente ng Quezon City na bumabatikos sa kanya sa social media?” dagdag pa ni Defensor.
Giit nito, mismong ang Korte Suprema na ang nagsabing ang mga halal na opisyal ay hindi dapat maging sensitibo sa mga batikos laban dito.
“The Supreme Court has time and again stressed that elected officials should not be onion-skinned or overly sensitive when it comes to public criticism. Like me, Mayor Belmonte is an elected official. We both cannot run away from harsh public scrutiny and disapproval,” ayon pa kay Defensor.
Hinamon pa ni Defensor si Belmonte na mag-resign bilang alkalde dahil sa hindi umano nito matanggap ang mga batikos laban sa kanya.
“The mayor is just wasting the resources of the prosecutor’s office which has real and pressing cases to deal with,” sabi pa nito.
“We would urge Mayor Belmonte to stop her antics, and to respond instead to the criminal complaints for plunder filed against her in connection with the P713 million worth of overpriced ayuda food packs that she bought,” giit pa ni Defensor.
Ang kasong cyber liber complaint ni Belmonte laban sa kongresista ay dahil sa dalawang social media posts nito na itinuro ang alkalde sa “Baklas army” na nag-alis sa campaign materials ni Defensor at ang mga salitang “mapanghati, mapanira, kasuka-suka, at kapit-tuko sa kapangyarihan”.
Gayundin ang akusasyon ni Defensor na isang empleyado ng Quezon City Hallang nakatakdang maghain ng plunder case laban kay Belmonte sa Office of the Ombudsman kaugnay ng umano’y “overpriced ayuda”.
Giit ni Belmonte, ang social media post ni Defensor ay maituturing na “libelous, malicious, false, and fraudulent”.
OnlineBalita news 