OGIE DIAZ FILES COUNTER-AFFIDAVIT AGAINST BEA ALONZO’S CYBER LIBEL COMPLAINT

On Tuesday June 18, Ogie Diaz has filed a counter-affidavit on the cyber libel complaint that Bea Alonzo filed against him on May 2 because of “false, malicious, and damaging information” on his “Showbiz Update Live” show.
Accompanied by his legal counsel Attorney Regie Tongol, Diaz filed the counter-charge at the Quezon City Regional Trial Court saying Bea Alonzo made it appear she made defamatory utterances even though she has not said anything at all.

Ogie Diaz camp of showbiz reporter filed its counter-affidavit against Bea Alonzo (Photo courtesy of ABS-CBN News)
“In our seventy-page (70) Counter-Affidavit, we called out the Complainant by not clearly stating in her sixteen-page (16) Complaint-Affidavit the specific individuals who altered the specific defamatory statements making it appear it was all Mr. Diaz who made them,” Tongol said.
“They even failed to show clear and convincing proof of ‘actual malice’ whether in the form of ‘reckless disregard for the truth’ or ill-motive which is a legal requirement and standard if the Complainant is a public figure,” added Tongol.
Tongol state some things indicated in the counter-affidavit, "The posting they put in their complaint affidavit is already prescribed. As of November 2022, the prescriptive period of cyber libel is only one year. The second thing we said there is that our client Ogie Diaz and the co-hosts did not say anything, or if his co-hosts said anything, it is still contained in the fair comment doctrine that is protected of our Supreme Court about matters of public interest just like the life and work done by the complainant.”
“Our clients will fight this case with courage because they have no malicious intent and the thirty million pesos (P30,0000,000.00) damages being asked by Ms. Bea Alonzo in her complaint is not only unjustified and unreasonable but is also exorbitant. We are also ready to file other counter charges against Ms. Alonzo for malicious prosecution and damages for this suppression of our client’s freedom of the press and expression in due time,” Attorney Tongol stated.
Source: Jan Milo Severo/Philippine Star
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