Ramon Tulfo arrested in Manila over cyber libel —MPD chief

Newspaper columnist and former special envoy for public diplomacy to China Ramon Tulfo was arrested for cyber libel on Wednesday, Manila Police District (MPD) director Police Brigadier General Leo Francisco said.

Tulfo was arrested around 10:30 a.m. and brought to the office of the Special Mayor’s Reaction Team (SMART) at the Manila City Hall.

“He is still in our SMART’s office at City Hall. His case is libel,” Francisco told GMA News Online in a message.

According to the MPD public information office (PIO), it was the SMART personnel who arrested Tulfo.

Based on the initial report from the MPD, Tulfo was arrested based on the warrant issued by Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 24 Presiding Judge Maria Victoria A. Soriano-Villadolid.

This is in relation to his supposed violation of Republic Act No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

Prior to the arrest, a certain Atty. Lean Cruz, counsel of former Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II, informed MPD about the case and sought police assistance to nab Tulfo.

Aguirre II confirmed to GMA News Online that he is the complainant in the case that led to Tulfo’s arrest.

According to him, the warrant of arrest was issued one or two years ago but Tulfo was allegedly in hiding.

“Palagi kasing nagtatago 'yan e. Ngayon lang natyempuhan. Matagal na 'yang warrant of arrest na 'yan, mga isa, dalawang taon,” he said in a message.

(Tulfo was always hiding. It is only now that the authorities had the opportunity to catch him. That warrant of arrest was issued a long time ago, around one to two years ago.)

Aguirre said the court issued the arrest warrant against Tulfo for his supposed failure to appear in the hearings.

“Kaya nade-delay 'yung mga case because of his failure to appear kaya nag-issue ang court ng arrest warrant against him  for failure to appear sa mga trial,” he said.

(The cases were delayed because of his failure to appear so the court issued an arrest warrant against him for failure to appear in trials.)

Aguirre had filed numerous libel and cyber libel cases against Tulfo over several allegations including the former Justice secretary’s supposed link to the "pastillas" scheme in the Bureau of Immigration.—AOL, GMA News