Perjury charges vs Claudine, Raymart junked

MANILA, Philippines - The Quezon City prosecutor’s office has dismissed the perjury charges filed by broadcaster Erwin Tulfo against celebrity couple Raymart Santiago and Claudine Barretto.

In a six-page resolution, Assistant City Prosecutor Maximo Usita junked the case for lack of evidence, saying there was no proof that the respondents were motivated by malice when they executed their earlier complaint-affidavit.

Usita was referring to the couple’s complaint that resulted in the filing of grave threats charges against Tulfo and his brothers Raffy and Ben.

The couple filed the case after the Tulfo brothers allegedly said threatening remarks on their television program T3 on May 7, 2012. 

The Tulfos were reacting to an earlier altercation between the Santiagos and their elder brother Mon at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

In his perjury charge, Erwin said the couple made malicious and false statements in their grave threats complaint when they accused Mon of starting the fight at the airport.

He added that the respondents made false statements when they branded him and his brothers as “notorious and influential people.”

But the Santiago couple said the charge was baseless and unfounded as Erwin “has no right to claim what is truthful or not since he has no knowledge of the actual incidents that happened at the airport.”