The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has denied the motion for reconsideration of Emmanuel “Willy” Ramasola in the finding of probable cause for the three counts of cyber libel charges filed against him by Bohol First District Rep. Edgar M. Chatto.
In a six-page Resolution, the prosecution ruled that Ramasola did not file a motion for suspension of the proceedings with the court nor has the court granted any, a requisite provide by Section 4.7.25, Chapter IV of the Revised Manual for Prosecutors.
Further, the office said that even if strict legal proceedings were set aside, no new material matter was presented to warrant the reversal of the probable cause finding as the arguments or issues raised are mere reiterations of those that had already been espoused and articulated upon during the preliminary investigation of the case.
It also said that the arguments of the respondent in his motion delve more on evidentiary matters that are best passed upon in a full-blown trial.
The resolution stated that “the Court is the best and sole judge on what to do with the case before it. The determination of the case is within its exclusive jurisdiction and competence.”
The prosecution maintained that all elements of libel were present in the 3 counts of cyber libel cases.
It ruled that Ramasola’s posts go beyond fair criticism and were direct attacks on Chatto, designed to discredit, intimidate and provoke public animosity.
The office found malice in Ramasola’s posts as they were not only defamatory but are also only directed towards Chatto.
The other elements of libel such as publication and identifiability were found present in the cases.