Tabuk City, Kalinga – Guru Press editors, Brent Martinez and Ghumie Pinkihan, pleaded ‘Not Guilty’ on two counts of cyber libel case filed by Mayor Darwin Estrañero relative to two articles published last year.
During the arraignment held virtually this morning of October 22, 2021, Martinez said he and Pinkihan pleaded not guilty.
Martinez, in a statement he posted, asked for prayer to help shed light on the truth. Meantime, in a short interview, Pinkihan said she welcomes the progress of the trial and hopes for the truth to prevail.
The case filed against Guru Press editors stemmed from the publication of two articles on July 2, 2020, and August 2, 2020, which were stated to be libelous.
These articles were entitled; ‘TABUK CITY: RESIDENTS FILE CHARGE AGAINST MAYOR ESTRANERO FOR OVERPRICED MEDICAL SUPPLIES’ and ‘CLAIM THAT NO AVAILABLE THERMAL SCANNERS IN TABUK CITY IN MARCH 2020, NOT TRUE – DRUG STORE OWNERS ASSOCIATION’.
Last year, on September 29, 2020, Estrañero filed the same cyber libel complaint against Pinkihan and Martinez before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Cabagan Isabela.
However, on December 14, 2020, the said office dismissed the case without prejudice for lack of jurisdiction. Martinez and Pinkihan’s pre-trial at the Regional Trial Court in Kalinga is scheduled for December 3, 2021.
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