Here is the latest update on the Bea Alonzo-Ogie Diaz legal battle
Talent manager-vlogger Ogie Diaz and his co-hosts Mama Loi and Ate Mrena filed their counter affidavit on the cyber libel case filed by Kapuso actress Bea Alonzo.
The actress filed the case against Ogie and his co-hosts, including showbiz insider Cristy Fermin and her co-hosts, for allegedly stating malicious and damaging information about her on their respective shows.
On Tuesday, the hosts of Showbiz Update, together with their legal counsel Atty. Regie Tongol, went to the Quezon City Regional Trial Court to present their side of the story. In an interview, based on the article in Bandera, Atty, Tongol stressed that Bea filed the case more than a year later already.
“Prescribed na ‘yung posting na nilagay nila sa complaint affidavit nila. November 2022 pa, one year lang kasi ang prescriptive period ng cyberlibel,” the lawyer said. This meant that it was filed beyond the one-year prescriptive period for Cyberlibel.
With this, Ogie Diaz’s legal counsel expressed confidence that the charges against the Showbiz Update hosts will be dismissed.
The lawyer also pointed out that his client’s statements were under the fair comment doctrine as Bea is a public figure. “We filed an affirmative defense of improper venue. Alam naman natin na since 2022, sinabi na ni Bea na she’s a legal resident ng Spain,” he added.
Atty. Tongol said that Bea is no longer a resident of Quezon City. With this, Mama Loi filed the perjury countercharge against the actress. The lawyer pointed out that Bea was lying when she said in her complaint affidavit that she is a resident of Quezon City.
Our client Mama Loi also filed a counter-charge for perjury with damages against Ms. Alonzo since the Complaint-Affidavit made it appear she made defamatory utterances even though she has not said anything at all,” the lawyer said.
As of this writing, Bea Alonzo has not reacted yet to the counter affidavit of Ogie Diaz and his co-hosts, as well as, the perjury case filed by Mama Loi.