City prosecutor drops libel rap vs. radioman

The Cebu City prosecutors' office has dismissed the P20-million libel complaint filed by businessman Wellington Lim against radio broadcaster Cirse "Choy" Torralba, for failing to substantiate the charges.

Assistant city prosecutor Alexander Acosta, in his two-page resolution, said Lim failed to submit the recorded conversation and the transcripts of Torralba's alleged libelous remarks aired in the latter's program at dyAR-Angel Radio.

"The undersigned could not properly determine whether or not there was indeed libelous statements," said Acosta while clarifying that Lim still has the chance to re-file a complaint with complete attachments.

Acosta said he earlier directed Lim's counsel, Renato Galeon, to submit the recorded program, with transcripts, of Torralba but this was not complied despite enough time to do so.

The case arose when Torralba issued a commentary in his radio program about an incident that he personally witnessed during a party in a restaurant in the city sometime last January.

Torralba said he saw NBI director Reynaldo Wycoco talking with Lim, along with a group in a table, during a party in Cebu City last January.

Lim and his brother came under fire with allegations of involvement in the illegal drug trade, a matter that the House committee on dangerous drugs of Rep. Antonio Cuenco had investigated years back.

Although the whistleblower Bernard Liu failed to substantiate his accusations against the Lim brothers that prompted the House body to put the case to rest, Lim's meeting with Wycoco had been criticized. - Rene U. Borromeo