NOTE: THIS STORY WAS FIRST PUBLISHED IN THE BOHOL CHRONICLE’S SUNDAY PRINT EDITION.
The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) started its investigation on The Bohol Monitor, a Facebook page whose administrator and the people behind are unknown to the public.
The probe came as an offshoot of the formal complaint filed by businessman Willy Ramasola, a social media influencer.
In his complaint filed with the NBI last March 3, Ramasola asked the NBI to file a criminal complaint for cyber libel against those who will be identified as behind this “dubious” shadowy Facebook account.
Sources from NBI said the people behind The Bohol Tribune, a weekly newspaper, will be summoned this week.
Ramasola in his affidavit cited that after examining the history of The Bohol Monitor, it revealed that it was “first created on December 9, 2014, with the name “The Bohol Tribune”. It was on August 12, 2018, that the page was changed to The Bohol Monitor.
He said The Bohol Tribune Is a mainstream media newspaper identifying its first Editor-in-Chief Mr. Michael Ligalig who is now connected with the National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP). Currently, its editorial board is headed by Ms. Ardy Batoy, Ramasola stated in his affidavit.
Ramasola asked the NBI that the past and present members of the Editorial Board of The Bohol Tribune to shed light and confirm who the individuals and entities managing The Bohol Monitor are – unless it turns out they are still in control and managing The Bohol Monitor up to this day.
He questioned The Bohol Monitor for posting irresponsible and libelous statements while hiding behind the “veil of anonymity.”
He cited a posting on Feb 4, 2023, which reads. “WILLY RAMASOLA MI KAWAT NA UG SUGOD SA KWARTA SA KAPITOLYO MAO NAG KAGUBOT ANG PIKAS GRUPO SA MAONG BALITA SA MEDIA NA NASUKO NIJA MI GAMIT SI RAMASOLA SA MGA SAKYANAN SA KAPITOLYO UG KWARTA ALANG SA IJANG MGA LAKAW NA NEGOSYO MATOD PA SA TIG DRIVE NI RAMASOLA ARANG TIHIK RABA TAWHANA DILI KAHIBAW MAG PAKAON UG TIMPO TING KAON NA MANIGURO RA UG IJAHA. TANAN GUSTO NI RAMASOLA C/O SA KABAN SA KAPITOLYO.”
In his affidavit, Ramasola said he has strong reasons to believe that one of the individuals behind The Bohol Monitor is Mr. Donald Sevilla.
Sevilla, a columnist for The Bohol Tribune strongly denied the allegations during a radio interview over DYRD’s top-rated Inyong Alagad program.
