Talent manager Annabelle Rama. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–A Quezon City court on Monday ordered the arrest of talent manager Annabelle Rama for her failure to attend her scheduled arraignment on 14 counts of libel lodged by former actress Nadia Montenegro.
RTC Branch 92 Judge Eleuterio Bathan issued the arrest warrant after Rama failed to appear in her scheduled arraignment.
Bathan cited a court rule that the accused in a criminal case is required to attend his or her arraignment.
Rama’s lawyer, Derick Delegencia, said the talent manager was unavailable for the court date.
But Montenegro’s lawyer, Marie Glen Abraham, pointed out that under new court rules, the accused is required to attend arraignments except in case of illness.
Following the issuance of warrant of arrest, Bathan also ordered the cancellation of the P140,000 surety bond that Gutierrez had earlier posted for her provisional liberty for the 14 counts of libel.
Records showed that it was the third time Rama’s arraignment was postponed. The first two settings were deferred by the court in view of Rama’s pending motions.
Rama had asked the court to give her 90 days before setting her arraignment to give her chance to exhaust all appeals questioning her indictment.
This included the deferment of Monday’s scheduled arraignment though the court did not issue any order for the deferment of the proceedings.
The Quezon City prosecutor’s office found probable cause to charge her for malicious remarks Rama made on Twitter and in television interviews against Montenegro.
Rama is also facing grave oral defamation and two counts of unjust vexation.
Assistant city prosecutor Diovie Macaraig-Calderon, however, dismissed the complaints for child abuse, unjust vexation slander by deed and attempted physical injuries against Rama.
Meanwhile, Rama’s complaint of attempted kidnapping against Montenegro was junked. Montenegro was charged instead with unjust vexation together with her lawyer and several others.
The animosity between the two showbiz personalities stemmed from Montenegro’s child abuse complaint against Rama who was managing the careers of Montenegro’s minor daughters.
Montenegro alleged that Rama made her daughters work for more than 40 hours a week, which is beyond the prescribed working hours for children under the law.
Rama then posted statements against Montenegro on Twitter and in television interviews aired last year.
The talent manager also filed attempted kidnapping raps against Montenegro and police officers, who allegedly went to her office at the Imperial Palace Hotel in Quezon City in a supposed attempt to arrest her.
Originally posted at 10:17 am| Monday, June 11, 2012