MANILA, Philippines — The Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Makati City issued a warrant of arrest against lawyer Levi Baligod over two counts of cyberlibel, with bail set at P20,000, according to a copy of the court order posted on Monday evening.
The June 15 warrant, issued by RTC Branch 148 and signed by Acting Presiding Judge Antonio Ray Abelardo Ortiguera, ordered law enforcers to arrest Baligod to answer the charges.
Reacting to the development, Baligod claimed he only received a copy of the warrant on Monday and alleged that he was denied the opportunity to answer the complaint because an incorrect address had been provided to prosecutors.
“I only received a copy of the warrant of arrest today. This case filed by Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. pushed through because the wrong address was deliberately provided to the prosecutor’s office, so I did not receive a subpoena and was unable to submit a counter-affidavit. They don’t want to fight fair, haha,” Baligod said in a Facebook post.
Baligod alleged that Agriculture Secretary Francisco Tiu Laurel Jr. intentionally provided the wrong address to the prosecutor’s office, allowing the case to proceed without his counter-affidavit.
Baligod is the lawyer representing the 18 former Marines who surfaced earlier this year with allegations involving the government’s allegedly anomalous flood control projects.
