Veteran journo held for libel, ‘unaware’ of case in Davao
MANILA, Philippines — Following his Saturday morning arrest, veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. remains in the dark about who is behind the cyberlibel complaint lodged against him and what triggered it, with his lawyer saying he was not given due process.
Human rights lawyer Dino de Leon, who is representing Lustre in the case, confirmed to the Inquirer that Lustre is now jailed at a police station in Kamuning in Quezon City “despite him being clueless as to the reason for his arrest.”
“It is not the usual course of things where you are given the right to respond,” De Leon said in a mix of Filipino and English.
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“I just want to put on record … that according to him, he was not aware of any existing case, and the very first thing he encountered was an arrest warrant,” he added.
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READ: NPC urges transparency in veteran journalist’s arrest
De Leon said Lustre will exhaust all legal remedies to file appropriate countercharges “to vindicate his rights.”
In the meantime, Lustre’s legal team is working on seeking bail, which was set at P48,000 for alleged violation of Sec. 4(c)(4) of Republic Act No. 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
Known Duterte critic
The 72-year-old Lustre, a known critic of former President Rodrigo Duterte, was arrested moments after the weekly Saturday News Forum and was served an arrest warrant supposedly issued by Branch 10 of the Davao City Regional Trial Court.
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During his arrest, Lustre told the media that he will not back down.
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After being held in police custody, he was brought to Quezon City General Hospital around 1 p.m. for medical examination. An hour later, he was transported to Kamuning Police Station 10.
“It is a sad day for journalism in the Philippines today … We do not know who the complainant is nor do we know what the case is all about,” De Leon said in a text message.
Book on drug war
Lustre’s recent notable work is the book, “Kill, Kill, Kill,” published in 2023, criticizing Duterte’s ruthless war on drugs.
Citing his client, De Leon said he remains unaware of any criminal charges or preliminary investigation pending before a court before the issuance of the arrest warrant.
“As of this writing, we still do not know the specific particulars of the case nor the identity of the complainant as the arrest happened on a weekend when the court that supposedly issued the warrant is closed,” De Leon said in a separate statement issued to reporters on Saturday night.
Inquirer address
“In any event, we are looking at what appears to be a deprivation of Mr. Lustre’s right to due process at the preliminary investigation stage where no subpoena or notice was ever served on or received by him,” he stressed.
The lawyer also flagged the erroneous address of Lustre on the warrant, which is actually the office address of the Inquirer.
“But when it came to the service of the warrant, it appears that it was easy for the authorities to find him,” De Leon said.
Lustre has more than four decades of experience as a journalist and writer.
He has worked in various publications, including the now-defunct Manila Newsfeatures and Commentaries and Pilosopong Tasyo news magazine, where he served as editor.
Lustre also worked as a media consultant for the Department of the Interior and Local Government around 2001.
He wrote a triweekly column for Police Files Tonite under the name “Ba Ipe.”
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Lustre also contributed to the Inquirer. —With reports from Holly Bacay and Inquirer Research
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