By Ferdinand Patinio
MANILA – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) filed a cyber libel complaint Friday against a vice mayoral candidate in Reina Mercedes town, Isabela province.
Comelec Chairperson George Garcia personally filed the complaint at the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila against lawyer Jeryll Harold Respicio for allegedly violating Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, in relation to Section 6 of Republic Act (RA) No. 10175, also known as the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
The complaint stemmed from a video posted by Respicio on Jan. 25 claiming that he could manipulate vote-counting machines and that there were backroom programs capable of altering election results.
“The videos uploaded by Atty. Respicio are not only sources of misinformation but also dangerous. They condition the minds of people into believing that the elections can be manipulated,” Garcia said in a press release.
He said one cannot freely make statements that would undermine the credibility of both Comelec and the electoral process without facing consequences.
“We want to prove that a person cannot just freely utter words that undermine the credibility, not just of the Comelec as an institution, but of the election itself. You cannot display superficial bravery and then not face the consequences of your actions,” Garcia added.
Garcia said Task Force Katotohanan, Katapatan, at Katarungan sa Halalan (TFK3H or Truth, Honesty and Justice) will also file a disqualification case against Respicio and a disbarment case before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines.
At the same time, they will seek revocation of Respicio’s license at the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC). The respondent is also a certified public accountant. (PNA)
