Judge Retrina Fuentes issues arrest warrants in high-profile cyber-libel cases

Retrina Espe Fuentes serves as the presiding judge of Davao City Regional Trial Court Branch 10 and has issued several notable arrest warrants. On October 24, she authorized the arrest of veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. after Mans Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, filed a cyber-libel complaint. Two days later, Lustre posted bail and was released.

Fuentes also signed the 2022 warrant that led to the detention of former vice-presidential candidate Walden Bello, who faced a cyber-libel suit from Jefry Tupas. Her judicial record includes ordering the 2019 arrest of Italian Lorenzo Marchesi on child sexual-exploitation charges and a September 2026 warrant for an individual known as “Abdul,” sought for rape. The judge’s appointments have progressed from 1st vice executive judge in 2016 to executive judge in 2022, reflecting seniority within the Supreme Court’s administrative system.