MANILA — A Pasay City Regional Trial Court judge has expressed remorse to former broadcaster Jay Sonza after an error in his arrest warrant resulted in his detention for five days.
According to his legal counsel, Atty. Mark Tolentino, the judge, opened the hearing with a personal apology, admitting the court’s oversight that led to Sonza’s temporary loss of liberty.
Tolentino said the warrant mistakenly categorized the case as non-bailable when in fact, the offense allows for bail. He also noted that the document cited the wrong statute, citing Republic Act No. 10591 instead of Republic Act No. 10951 regarding the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
He also cited Department of Justice rules that prohibit arrests for bailable offenses on weekends, including late Fridays, and during holidays.
Sonza’s camp, however, has opted not to file any case over the incident, maintaining that the judiciary is not their adversary.
The warrant for Sonza’s arrest had been issued on Thursday.
ia/xf
