DUE to insufficiency of evidence, the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office junked the charges of obstruction of justice filed against former UNTV station manager Jay Sonza and 12 board members of two broadcasting productions by the alleged male rape victim of “Ang Dating Daan” preacher Bro. Eli Soriano.

In a five-page resolution, Assistant City Prosecutor Ralph Michael Cataquiz ruled that “the acts of agreeing to broadcast/allowing the continued “LIVE” broadcast of Soriano’s shows and profiting from the broadcast of the same shows, which were alleged by complainant to have been committed by respondents, do not constitute the offense of obstruction of justice within the scope of PD No. 1829.”

Aside from Sonza, also exonerated from the case were Alfredo Henares, Joselito Pedero, Dennis Villareal, Gener Asuncion, Enrique Henares and Daniel Razon.

Others were Ruth Soriano, Imelda Roque, Vicente Tan, Emilio Magdaraog, Danilo Navales and Fredelino Tudio. The respondents are officers and board members of Progressive Broadcasting Corporation (PBC) and Breakthrough and Milestones Productions International (BMPI).

The complainant, a resident of Pampanga, filed the case against the respondents for allegedly allowing the broadcast over UNTV Soriano’s show “Itanong Mo Kay Soriano” despite knowing that the latter is a fugitive from justice.

Records showed that the Macabebe, Pampanga Regional Trial Court Branch 54 issued on June 2, 2009 a warrant of arrest against Soriano based on the charges of two counts of rape filed by the complainant.