THE Court of Appeals (CA) has affirmed with finality its decision junking the libel case filed by former Vice President Jejomar Binay against former senator Antonio Trillanes IV in connection with the latter’s allegations implicating the former in the alleged P100 million a year racket involving “ghost” senior citizens in Makati City.
In a two-page resolution promulgated on January 24, 2024, the CA’s former Fourth Division held that Binay failed to raise new arguments that would warrant the reconsideration of its June 27, 2023 decision.
“Upon careful deliberation of the motion for reconsideration, the Court finds no compelling reason to deviate from its findings and conclusion. The arguments raised in the motion are merely a rehash of the issues which the assailed decision has already passed upon,” the resolution penned by Associate Justice Alfonzo Ruiz II said.
“Petitioner has not been able to establish that the proceedings below were conducted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction, which is the core issue to be resolved in any petition for certiorari,” the resolution added.
Concurring with the decision are Associate Justices Ronaldo Roberto Martin and Ramon Bato Jr.
The assailed 2023 CA decision upheld the November 2020 decision issued by Branch 148 of the Makati Regional Trial Court presided by Judge Andres Soriano which granted the demurrer to evidence filed by Trillanes, effectively dismissing the case against the former senator.
Binay appealed the ruling, but Soriano junked the motion, prompting the former to elevate the case to the CA.
The libel case stemmed from a 2015 online news article quoting Trillanes accusing Binay of perpetrating a P100 million racket a year involving ghost senior citizens in Makati City.
Binay has said that Trillanes’ accusations have no basis and that it was merely part of efforts to malign his reputation and frustrate his bid as front-runner in the 2016 presidential elections.
