Blogger indicted in Sotto libel case

MANILA, Philippines — The Pasay City prosecutor’s office has indicted blogger Edward Angelo “Cocoy” Dayao for libel in the case filed by Senate President Vicente Sotto III late last year.

Dayao was charged with libel under Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 on July 13 at the Pasay City regional trial court upon the recommendation of Senior Assistant City Prosecutor Alan Mangabat, which was approved by Senior Deputy City Prosecutor Dolores Rillera.

The court set bail at P72,000.

On Nov. 28, 2017, Sotto filed the complaint against Dayao, the alleged owner and administrator of the “silentnomore” website, which posted an article attacking him and six other senators in September 2017.

Upon checking yesterday, the silentnomoreph website was no longer accessible.

In his four-page complaint affidavit, Sotto said Dayao, in the article “Malacañang Dogs in the Senate: Pimentel, Sotto, Gordon, Villar, Zubiri, Honasan, Pacquiao,” claimed that seven senators allied with President Duterte did not sign a resolution prepared by the members of the Senate minority bloc calling on the government to stop the killings of minors.

Sotto pointed out that he did not refuse to sign or support the resolution but was not able to sign it since it was not presented to him for his signature.

The same was true for the six other senators, who all said they were not made to sign the resolution, which was routed for signing by Sen. Francis Pangilinan.