Vendor faces libel raps for FB posts

A vendor is facing charges before the court for allegedly posting defamatory statements on a social networking site against the market administrator of Barangay Inayawan, Cebu City.

Prosecutor III Alex Gabud has indicted Mary Danielle Villapante for the crime of libel after finding probable cause.

“…having taken the testimony of the witnesses under oath, and that the accused was given a chance to submit controverting evidence, that on the basis of the evidence presented there is a reasonable ground to believe that the crime of libel has been committed and that the accused is probably guilty thereof,” the resolution reads.

Gabud has recommended P10,000 bail for Villapante's temporary liberty.

The case stemmed from a complaint filed by Inayawan Councilman Rustico Ignacio and Market Administrator Loida Elman against Villapante, a vendor of Inayawan Public Market.

In their complaint, they said the incident happened on October 2,7,9,21, 30, and on November 10,13, and 15, all in 2016, when Villapante posted on her Facebook account defamatory remarks against them.

“Ang imong pagka demonyo Loida Elman way kabutangan, bisan sa impyerno di ka dawaton ni satanas, kay ultimo si satanas mahadlok og imong ilogan siya sa iyang trono!! Baga ka'g nawong, hawod ka, mangtas sa pag pangilkil sa merkado iyara!!” reads one of Villapante's posts.

Ignacio said his name was also mentioned in one of Villapante's posts.

Elman said she used to be Villapante's friend but their friendship turned sour after she reprimanded her for selling outside the market which is prohibited by the market administration.

Gabud directed Villapante to file her counter-affidavit and other supporting evidence to negate the allegations filed against her, but failed. Thus, he resolved the complaint based on evidence at hand.

With the foregoing facts, Gabud found probable cause to indict Villapante in relation to her post against Elman, while he dismissed the complaint filed by Ignacio.

“This Office finds no basis to consider the complaint of Rustico Ignacio against the respondent since the alleged defamatory remarks in the attached screenshots referred to a certain Rustom Ignacio and there is no showing that the names Rustico Ignacio and Rustom Ignacio refer to one and the same person,” the decision reads.

P. Manto/KBQ