All elements of the cyber libel case filed by Buenavista, Guimaras Vice Mayor Cyril Beltran against Sangguniang Bayan Member Vincent Pascal De Asis have been proven in court.
In an interview with Bombo Radyo, Atty. Jose Recsan Tormon, Beltran’s legal counsel, revealed that the dispute stemmed from De Asis’s comments on a Facebook post made by Beltran in 2022. The post featured a photo of Guimaras Vice Governor John Edward Gando raising Beltran’s hand. At the time, Beltran was still serving as a board member.
Tormon confirmed that De Asis’s comment included an allegation calling Beltran a thief in connection with a funeral service controversy. In response, Beltran challenged De Asis, stating that he would resign immediately if the accusation were proven true.
Attempts to resolve the issue through dialogue, including a meeting with Atty. Tormon, failed to settle the misunderstanding. As a result, Beltran formally filed a cyber libel case against De Asis in December 2022.
Recently, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 65 ruled in favor of Beltran, finding De Asis guilty of online libel.
