MANILA – The Department of Justice (DOJ) on Tuesday said it has identified and located the netizen who made threats online against Frankie Pangilinan, the daughter of Senator Francis Pangilinan and actress Sharon Cuneta.
"The DOJ-Office of Cybercrime has ascertained the identity and location of the person who allegedly threatened Frankie Pangilinan. It has also made a request for Facebook to preserve the content of the account pending the filing of the complaint by the offended party. Should a complaint be filed, law enforcers may apply for a warrant to disclose computer data and a request for extradition, if warranted, may be made," Justice Undersecretary and spokesperson Markk Perete said in a message to reporters.
Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra, meanwhile, said Frankie, 19, may file the appropriate complaint before a prosecutor's office.
The controversy stemmed from a certain Sonny Alcos who allegedly threatened to rape Frankie.
"It’s not required that the complainant personally goes to the prosecutor’s office/DOJ. Her lawyer may do it for her, provided the complaint has been duly sworn to by the complainant. It is preferable, though, that the complainant personally appears before the prosecutor," Guevarra said when sought for comment.
In an Instagram post over the weekend, Cuneta vowed to go after the netizen who threatened to rape her daughter.
Meanwhile, Frankie, in a Twitter post, urged law enforcers to protect all actual victims of sex crimes.
"It just sucks so bad to think about how so many actual victims (not just of threats etc.) can’t even begin to fight for their own justice and here I am, receiving one vile tweet and some people are enraged on my behalf. Can we please unleash the same fire for everyone?" she said. (PNA)
