By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) has issued an arrest warrant against lawyer Levito Baligod, counsel for the so-called “18 ex-bodyguards” of fugitive former Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Zaldy Co, after finding probable cause to try him on two counts of cyber libel.
The warrant, issued by Makati RTC Branch 148 on June 15, stemmed from a complaint filed by Department of Agriculture (DA) Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr., who accused Baligod of making defamatory statements online.
Baligod disclosed the development in a Facebook post on Monday, saying he had only just received a copy of the warrant.
“I just received the copy of my arrest warrant,” the lawyer wrote.
He claimed he was deprived of the opportunity to answer the complaint because notices and court processes were allegedly sent to an incorrect address. According to Baligod, this prevented him from receiving the subpoena and filing his counter-affidavit during the preliminary investigation.
The court set bail at P20,000 for his temporary liberty. As of Tuesday morning, Baligod had not publicly confirmed whether he had posted bail.
The cyber libel case arose from statements Baligod made regarding allegations by the purported “18 ex-bodyguards” of Co, who claimed they had delivered suitcases filled with cash to the residences of several government officials, including Tiu Laurel.
The agriculture secretary filed the complaint on March 19, categorically dismissing the allegations as “purely fiction” and maintaining that the accusations were baseless and defamatory.
Baligod has been representing individuals identifying themselves as former aides or bodyguards of Co, who have made public allegations involving alleged cash deliveries and irregular financial transactions linked to government officials.
The issuance of the arrest warrant pertains solely to the cyber libel charges against Baligod and does not constitute a judicial finding on the truth or falsity of the allegations made by the purported former bodyguards, which remain unresolved in separate proceedings.
ia/xf
