Roque files counter affidavit vs Trillanes libel charges

Former Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque filed a counter-affidavit in the cyberlibel and libel complaints of former Senator Antonio Trillanes IV.

In a statement on Sunday, Roque said that on June 18, he asked the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office to dismiss  Trillanes’ libel charges for lack of probable cause.

Roque also submitted a counter-charge against Trillanes for violating RA 3019 or the “Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act” and RA 6713 or the “Code  of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.”

Roque said Trillanes “betrayed the public trust” during his 2012 backchannel negotiations with Chinese officials.

“As a public figure, Trillanes should not have been onion-skinned in reacting to my criticisms of his conduct in his backchannel mission to  China,” Roque said.

“My livestream discusses matters of public interest such as sovereignty and sovereign rights that deserve utmost discussion and should be insulated from libel judgment,” he added.

On May 14, Trillanes filed charges against Roque and vlogger Byron  Cristobal or Banat By, along with other personalities, for remarks against him.

In his complaint, Trillanes said Roque posted a video on Facebook where he accused him of giving the Scarborough Shoal to China.

Meanwhile, Cristobal played Roque’s remarks in his video and then expressed his concurrence with the statements.

“The Complainant allowed himself to be persuaded, induced, or influenced to violate the 1987 Constitution and the rules of the Senate. The negotiation was grossly disadvantageous to the government,” Roque said.

“As a Senator, Trillanes failed to observe the standards of nationalism,  patriotism, and commitment to democracy, in violation of RA 6713,” he added.

In response to Roques' counter affidavit, Trillanes said, "Harry Roque is just squeezing blood from a stone. Nothing will come out of that.  Roque's time would be better spent traveling with Mr. Supranational." — DVM, GMA Integrated News