Pacquiao appeals dismissal of libel suit 

BOXING champion and Senator Emmanuel “Manny” D. Pacquiao has asked the Makati Prosecutor’s Office to reconsider its dismissal of his libel suit against the spiritual adviser of President Rodrigo R. Duterte. 

“While we respect the decision of the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office, we respectfully disagree,” his lawyer Nikki De Vega said in a statement on Tuesday. “A distinction must be made between mere criticism and the proliferation of fake news.” 

The case was dismissed even without a counter-affidavit from the defendant, Apollo C. Quiboloy, she said. 

Mr. Pacquiao earlier sued the religious leader, seeking P100 million in damages, for allegedly accusing him of corruption. 

Ms. De Vega said that they were considering withdrawing the motion to allow the US government, through the Federal Bureau of Investigation, “to properly facilitate the extradition and arrest of Apollo Quiboloy in relation to his sex trafficking case in the US.” 

The religious leader is set to be tried in a federal grand jury in California in March next year for alleged sex trafficking and money laundering. He has denied the charges. — Alyssa Nicole O. Tan