Supporters of Vice President Leni Robredo on Wednesday filed multiple counts of cyber libel against Dr. Jack Arroyo Jr. before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for an allegedly false and malicious post in his Facebook account.
The plaintiffs were participants in the “The Caravan of Hope” in Marikina City in October last year, who were allegedly accused by Arroyo of being paid to join the motorcade in support of presidential bet Robredo.
Among the complainants were Sisters Mary Florence Bautista and Gemma Dinglasan of the Congregation of Our Lady of Charity of the Good Shepherd, a medical doctor, and others who requested anonymity.
The nuns were represented by their legal counsel Tristan Arnesto.
A hundred vehicles took off from Marikina City and made the rounds on a motorcade in several cities in the National Capital Region on Oct. 23, 2021, as a show of force in support of Robredo’s bid for the presidency.
Arroyo, in his FB page, claimed those who took part in the motorcade were paid cash to join the caravan and to use Robredo’s campaign materials.
The complainants stressed that Arroyo’s false accusation subjected them “to ridicule, derision, mockery, and public humiliation.”
They said they are determined to go after Arroyo to deter other peddlers of fake news from further spreading lies using the social media platform.
“Every person who would use VP Leni propaganda materials were given P300 and a face mask. The owner(s) of cars were given P2,000, plus poster and fuschia ribbon,” the complaints said, quoting Arroyo.
“And she was talking of vote buying,” it further stated, citing the post was accompanied by photos of motorcade participants, including “the nuns with a picture of a P100 bill juxtaposed with ‘Dapat Si Leni’ sticker.”
The complainants said they joined the caravan voluntarily “purely out of the enthusiasm for and belief in the candidacy of VP Robredo,” adding they did not receive any payment, used their own cars, and paid for their own gasoline, food, and water.
They claimed Arroyo is a retired medical doctor and ophthalmologist by profession, and that based on his Facebook page, he is a director of SMC Global Power Holdings Corp. and is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines College of Medicine.