BOBBY NALZARO
While waiting for a ruling from the Department of Justice (DOJ), the Cebu City trial court deferred the arraignment of media practitioner Pablito “Bobby” Nalzaro who was sued for libel by former Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña.
Judge Generosa Labra of the Regional Trial Court Branch 23 said she will suspend Nalzaro’s arraignment for 60 days from the time the veteran broadcast-journalist filed a petition for review before the DOJ on June 4, 2015.
The court set the tentative arraignment of Nalzaro on August 17.
Section 11, Rule 116 of the Revised Rules of Criminal Procedure allows the suspension of the arraignment while a petition for review is pending before the DOJ or the Office of the President, provided that it will not exceed 60 days from the filing of the petition for review.
READ: New judge for Nalzaro libel case | Nalzaro insists his columns were factual
Sought for comment on the court’s recent order, Nalzaro said “All I can say is thank you.”
Osmeña earlier filed a libel case against Nalzaro for allegedly accusing him of fabricating charges against Cebu City Treasurer Diwa Cuevas in an attempt to sabotage the administration of Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.
The former mayor earlier filed 38 counts in an administrative complaint against Cuevas before the Department of Finance over alleged lapses in handling Cebu City’s financial transactions based on findings of the 2012 and 2013 audit reports of the Commission on Audit (COA).