Trillanes files libel case vs Thinking Pinoy
SEN. Antonio Trillanes 4th on Wednesday filed cyber libel charges against pro-Duterte blogger Rey Joseph Nieto for calling him a “drug lord” in his Thinking Pinoy blog.
In his seven-page complaintaffidavit filed before the Pasay City Prosecution Office, Trillanes said Nieto maligned him when he posted on his Facebook account an article entitled “Trump Calls Trillanes A Drug Lord.”
The article stated, “US President Donald J. Trump reportedly called Senator Antonio “Sonny” F. Trillanes IV a ‘ Narco,’ a colloquial word for a ‘drug baron’ or a ‘drug lord.’” It appeared that Trump made the remark in an interview with a reporter.
“Having posted in the Facebook account of Respondent Nieto in the internet, this malicious imputation was published far and wide and all over the world, including in Pasay City, within the jurisdic- tion of this Honorable Office and the Regional Trial Court of Pasay City,” Trillanes said.
“In fact, as of today, it has received 62,000 reactions and was shared 15,759 times from those who have seen it, to the grave and utter detriment and prejudice of herein complainant,” he added.
The senator said Nieto’s post is considered “fake news” since he did not even cite the source or the news outfit, “as there was indeed none, that purportedly conducted the supposed interview where the President of the United States allegedly uttered those words.”
Trillanes said that his name was not mentioned in the transcripts of the US President’s press engagements.
“Considering the nature of this derogatory imputation, it is undeniable that malice attended the posting of the subject post,” he said.