MANILA, Philippines – Veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. was arrested by the Quezon City Police Department (QCPD) under the leadership of acting district director Police Brigadier General (PBGEN) Christopher Olazo on Saturday, October 24, for alleged cyber libel.

The Kamuning Police Station 10’s warrant section and the Quezon City District’s anti-cybercrime team both facilitated the arrest.

Lustre, 72, is the author behind Kill, Kill, Kill: Extrajudicial Killings in the Philippines, a book about former president Rodrigo Duterte’s deadly war on drugs.

He had been attending the House of Representatives’ Saturday news forum at a restaurant along Scout Borromeo Street when the police arrived to read his Miranda rights to him, according to a report by GMA News.

The same report also said lawyer Dino De Leon, who was also present at the forum, will serve as Lustre’s legal counsel moving forward.

Notably, the warrant of arrest was issued by Branch 10 of Davao City’s Regional Trial Court.

Lustre’s arrest comes just after Davao City 1st District Representative Paolo “Pulong” Duterte filed a cyber libel complaint against GMA Network’s journalists over a report about bribery claims against him and Vice President Sara Duterte.

In a video posted by ABS-CBN News, Lustre said he does not know who the complainant is.

Lustre will remain under police custody until further court proceedings are made. – Rappler.com