MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the courts will determine whether to issue arrest warrants against 18 former bodyguards of fugitive former Ako Bicol Rep. Zaldy Co and their lawyer, Levito Baligod, who are facing perjury and cyber libel charges.

Speaking at a press briefing, DOJ Undersecretary Ian Dato said the issuance of arrest warrants now rests with the trial courts.

“(I)t will now be up to the judge to have a personal determination of the validity of the issuance of the arrest warrant,” Dato said.

He added that the recommended bail is PHP18,000 for each accused facing perjury charges and PHP10,000 for each accused charged with cyber libel.

According to Dato, the respondents have already filed a motion for reconsideration.

DOJ Undersecretary Nicholas Ty, however, said the filing of a motion for reconsideration does not prevent the department from filing criminal information before the courts.

“Pero ang MR, hindi na ‘to pinipigilan ng pag-file ng information sa korte. ‘Yun naman talaga ang lakaran dito sa DOJ sa lahat ng mga kaso na binibasura namin at kung may pasya na nasampahan ng kaso yung respondent sa korte. Not tumitigil yun kahit na may MR (But the MR, it does stop us from filing the criminal information before the court. That is how it is in the DOJ; there are cases we resolve, and it does not stop merely because there is an MR filed),” Ty said.

The charges stem from complaints involving the execution and dissemination of a joint sworn statement, as well as related press conferences, interviews, social media posts, and other online publications.

The 18 former bodyguards were charged through 10 separate informations consisting of six counts of cyber libel under Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act 10175, or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, and four counts of perjury.

Baligod was named as a co-accused with the group in several of the informations. He also faces a separate information for one count of cyber libel under the same law, while other complaints against him covered by the DOJ resolutions were dismissed for lack of prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction.PNA