Social media personality Jeffrey Celiz has posted a ₱36,000 bail bond following criminal charges filed against him for supposedly disseminating fabricated information regarding the health condition of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
Atty. Mark Tolentino, legal counsel for Celiz, confirmed on Tuesday that the Pasay City Regional Trial Court Branch 119 approved his client’s application for provisional liberty after the required amount was settled.
The vlogger faces criminal indictment for unlawful publication under the framework of the Cybercrime Prevention Act.
Tolentino stated that his client has formally placed himself under the jurisdiction of the court following the judicial confirmation of his bail.
“Accordingly, there exists no legal basis for his arrest in connection with the same case while the bail remains valid and subsisting,” the lawyer said in a statement.
The legal dispute originated from a comprehensive National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) probe into a forged medical document that spread rapidly online. The spurious report falsely claimed that President Marcos was suffering from “severe sigmoid diverticulitis.”
Following their investigation, law enforcement agencies identified Celiz and former television personality Jay Sonza as the primary actors behind the distribution of the fabricated medical record.
Consequently, the Department of Justice filed charges of cyberlibel and unlawful use of means of publication against both individuals. Celiz is also reportedly dealing with a separate, independent cyberlibel lawsuit.
Sonza, who is likewise represented by Tolentino, secured his provisional release earlier after posting a separate ₱10,000 bail bond.