Harry Roque and Banat By. Roque’s photo by ABS-CBN News’ George Calvelo and By’s photo from his Facebook account

MANILA (UPDATED) — The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office has issued a subpoenas for former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and vlogger Banat By, whose real name is listed as Byron Cristobal, for the libel and cyber libel complaints former Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV filed against them last month.

Prosecutors conduct preliminary investigations to determine whether there is probable cause to believe that a crime has been committed by the respondents. If probable cause if found, cases can be brought to court.

Trillanes posted a copy of the subpoenas on his social media pages but redacted most parts of the document, including details of the case.

"The subpoenas are out," the former senator’s caption read.

In mid-May, Trillanes filed several libel and cyber libel complaints before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office citing Roque and By’s "persistent online attacks and the dissemination of false accusations" against him.

READ: Trillanes files criminal raps vs Harry Roque, SMNI, several others

Among these allegations against Trillanes are accusations of selling and giving away Scarborough Shoal — also called Bajo de Masinloc and Panatag Shoal — to China during the former lawmaker’s backchannel talks in 2012, as well as stories on his supposed efforts to pay an individual to be a fake witness against former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Trillanes earlier said he plans to file separate criminal complaints with the National Bureau of Investigation against several social media account owners for similarly spreading disinformation and libelous statements about him.

Roque said his camp will lodge counter-affidavits and counter charges against Trillanes.

"We will file our counter- affidavits and counter charge for Trillianes's disloyalty to the Republic in due course," the former spokesperson told ABS-CBN News in a text message.

Press freedom and freedom of expression advocates have been calling for the decriminalization of libel for being outdated and overly harsh and for contradicting constitutional guarantees on freedom of speech. 

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