ENTERTAINMENT talk show host Ogie Diaz is not taking the cyberlibel complaint filed against him by Bea Alonzo sitting down as he not only filed his counter-affidavit, but also filed a complaint for perjury and damages against the actress on Tuesday, June 18, before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office.
Through his lawyer Regie Tongol, Diaz and co-respondent Mama Loi, whose real name is Loi Villarama, sought to dismiss the P30 million in damages sought by Alonzo.
In their 70-page counter-affidavit, Diaz and Mama Loi called out Alonzo for not clearly stating in her complaint-affidavit the specific individuals who uttered the specific “defamatory utterances” that she complained of, making it appear that it was all Diaz who made them.
This would show Alonzo’s failure to prove “actual malice” on the part of the respondents, they 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. The opinions expressed by Mr. Diaz’s co-hosts on the November 19, 2022 episode were merely based on a common truthful observation of the netizens of the performance of her show, ‘Startup PH,’ as pointed out in their several comments online,” a statement issued by Tongol read.
Respondents further said that Alonzo’s two counts of cyberlibel even included the November 19, 2022 episode in the “Ogie Diaz Showbiz Update” YouTube channel, which means that it already missed the one-year prescriptive period within which to file her complaint for cyberlibel.
For the other count of libel pertaining to the February 12, 2024 episode of Diaz’s vlog on Alonzo allegedly being offered projects after giving first crack to fellow Kapuso actress Marian Rivera, respondents claimed their utterances were not defamatory as such occurrences were not unusual in local and international show business, much less in their home network, “given that Mrs. Rivera-Dantes is the undisputed queen of GMA.”
As for the perjury case, the complaint pertained to the inclusion of Mama Loi in Alonzo’s cyberlibel charge even though she did not utter anything in the vlog.
Interviewed by INQUIRER.net on the phone, Tongol further said Alonzo also perjured herself when she declared Quezon City to be her place of residence when she had been stating in public and the media that she maintains a residence in Spain.
The respondents’ lawyer also reserved the right to file counter charges against Alonzo for malicious prosecution and damages for suppression of their freedom of the press and expression in due time.
Last May, Alonzo filed three separate cyberlibel complaints against Diaz and veteran talk show host Cristy Fermin, including their respective co-hosts in their online programs. (Jessica Ann Evangelista © Philippine Daily Inquirer)
