Journalist Philip Lustre posts P48,000 bail in cyberlibel case

MANILA, Philippines — Veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. was released on bail on Saturday after friends in the media pooled funds for his release in less than an hour, following his arrest earlier that day.

Lustre was arrested in Quezon City after a Davao court issued a warrant for his arrest on a cyberlibel charge.

He authored the book “Kill, Kill, Kill,” which examines former President Rodrigo Duterte’s anti-drug campaign.

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READ: Veteran journalist Lustre arrested in QC for cyber libel

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“This was not an easy feat. Many people and parties helped quietly. They did what they could to help me silently. No fanfare. They just helped me without me asking for their help,” Lustre said in a social media post.

Lustre said he asked lawyer Dino De Leon to serve as his counsel, who then tapped his associate lawyers, Mark David Dacula and Arni Pia Olga Naya of Dargon Law Offices, to help represent him.

Lustre said his friends in the media pooled money for his bail, raising P50,000 in less than an hour to cover the required P48,000, with broadcast journalist Ariel Ayala leading the effort.

He also said the complaint he received did not name a complainant and that he was told the details were in a separate information sheet that was not attached to the charge sheet.

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“It was definitely a special operation against me,” Lustre said, adding that the move appeared intended to have him arrested on a Saturday and detained over the weekend, when securing bail for his release could be difficult.

“There was a procedural flaw in the process. That was how deep the Davao Group does their thing,” he added.

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He also said his friend Jarius Bondoc helped arrange for an inquest judge to work on a Saturday night so he could post bail.

He thanked friends who expressed support, including Sen. Risa Hontiveros, who visited him at the precinct, and Rep. Jude Acidre, who called to offer assistance.

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“As long as there are people who stand up for what is right, those who seek to silence us will never prevail, especially when it comes to our fellow members of the media. We will never be silenced,” De Leon wrote on Facebook. /mcm