Jay Sonza ordered freed after posting P10,000 bail

MANILA, Philippines — Former broadcaster Jay Sonza was ordered released from detention yesterday after posting bail of P10,000 in connection with a case of unlawful publication he is facing before a Pasay court.

But Sonza remains in the custody of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) despite posting bail.

“Based on the information we received, operatives are still waiting for instructions from the NBI central office before releasing Sonza,” the broadcaster’s lawyer, Mark Tolentino, posted on Facebook.

Sonza was detained at the custodial facility of the NBI in Muntinlupa on Thursday.

His arrest stemmed from accusations that he and vlogger Eric Celiz spread fake medical records of President Marcos online.

The Pasay Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 118 erred when it initially tagged Sonza’s case as non-bailable. It rectified the order on Saturday and set the bail at P10,000.

The error prompted the court to apologize to Sonza.

Judge Rowena Nieves Tan rescheduled the arraignment to June 3 after Sonza’s camp filed a motion to quash.

“Based on my research, the complaint was filed in Pasay on the ground that the main office of the NBI is here,” Tolentino told reporters. “If you check the information, the alleged offended party is the President. So it should not be filed here since Marcos has no house or office in Pasay.”

The Pasay RTC Branch 119 set the bail for Celiz at P36,000 for the unlawful publication charge.