Mejorada Arrested: Why was Ex-Iloilo official Boy Mejorada Arrested? Explained: As per the latest reports, The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) apprehended former Iloilo provincial administrator Manuel “Boy” Mejorada. He will start serving hail time after having been sentenced to libel lodged by Senator Franklin Drilon, who resides in Iloilo. His arrest news is officially confirmed by the partner of Mejorada through Facebook, as on Monday, 22nd November 2021 she made a post in which she confirmed that he was apprehended around 09:20 AM by the NBI Special Operation Group. His partner wrote, “He was apprehended on the basis of a warrant of apprehending to serve his judgment for the libel conviction with Drilon as the complainant.” Follow More Update On GetIndiaNews.com
Mejorada Arrested
His partner stated that Mejorada was “silenced” by Drilon. He explains himself on his Twitter profile as the “Number One foe of Senator Franklin Drilon.” Freedom of Expression and Press freedom advocates have long called for the legitimizing of libel and cyber libel, which the UN Human Rights Council has alluded to is excessive and is irreconcilable with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
Why was Ex-Iloilo official Boy Mejorada Arrested?
The libel conviction of Mejorada stemmed from his blog, social media posts, and newspaper column blaming Drilon for funding atypical projects in the city and province of Iloilo when the latter was the lawgiver’s president at the time of the presidency of Benigno S. Aquino III. It comprises the Iloilo Convention Center and the Iloilo Circumferential Road. In the year 2017, Mejorada was at first found guilty of libel by Pasay City’s Regional Trial Court (RTC-Branch 118).
Not only this, but the court also convicted him to serve a minimum of 2 years and a maximum of 4 years. After this judgment, Mejorada attempted to appeal the decision, but the Court of Appeals (CA) declared the decision of the lower court in the year 2018. By the year 2019, the Supreme Court (SC) declared the prison sentence of Mejorada. The culprit Mejorada, a native of neighboring Capiz province, previously served as a newspaper journalist and editor in Iloilo City.
He worked as provincial administrator of the late Iloilo governor Niel Tupas Sr. who was a long-time ally of Drilon. But he attained infamy in both the city and province of Iloilo. He particularly grosses the ire of local residents when he dubbed Iloilo as the “bird’s nest of corruption” in the year 2014 senate hearing.
