vonjobi: wow, congratulations! kelan ang trip? i hope i'll be around when you come. had a good time with diosa last...
Keith Bacongco: Knowing Nograles and his Big Boss...garapalan na lang talaga.
Vinia Datinguinoo Mukherjee: Congratulations, PCIJ! Mabuhay kayo!
Lead Philippines: But without credible mass media there, what is left to protect the people..?
vonjobi: it's juned sOniDo.

Latest Message 5 months, 1 week ago

hopeless_race : Lets not just focus sa mga malversation of funds, sa mga overpricing..ating pagtuunan ng atensyon ang diskarte ng mga politiko na umuutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno."Small time" ang ibang pamamaraan ng pangungurakot kumpara sa pag-utang sa gobyerno ng bilyon na tunay ngang masasabing "pinaka big-time" at wala pang sabit.
hopeless_race : Mukhang tikom ang bibig ng lahat pagdating sa diskarte ng mga politiko sa pagutang ng mga bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno na tinatakbuhan. Itong pamamaraan na ito ang tunay na kumakain ng malaking porsyento ng ating national budget batay na din sa sinasabi ng world bank.
hopeless_race : Pakisilip naman po ang mga utang ni Villar sa BSP, ang mga utang nila RAMON JACINTO, RONNIE ZAMORA, JOE DE VENECIA at madami pang ibang mga pulitiko. Iilan lamang yan sa mga nababanggit sa balita na may mga malalaking utang sa gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Nagmimistulang "small time" lamang ang malversation of funds kumpara sa laki ng kinakamal ng mga umuutang sa gobyerno. At ito ay malinaw na natatakbuhan dahil hindi nga naman pwede makulong ang may-ari ng kumpanya sa pagkaka-utang lamang. Tunay na mga tuso at magagaling sa batas itong mga politiko natin. Masasabi ko na malamang lahat ng mga politiko ganito ang diskarte...wala pang kulong.
hopeless_race : PCIJ pkitingnan naman po ang mga gaya ni Villar na my malaking utang sa Gobyerno pero tinatakbuhan. Magtatayo ng kumpanya at uutang ng bilyon bilyon sa gobyerno ng walang balak bayaran. Tunay ngang walang nakukulong sa utang...ito ang prinsipyo ginagamit ng mga politiko ntin kaya nakakapagtaka kung san napupunta ang daang bilyong pera ng gobyerno.
hopeless_race : Sana itreat naman po ng media ang hacienda luisita at mendiola massacre na parang MAGUINADANAO MASSACRE. Ipublicized ang mga katotohanan at ipakita sa tao ang karumaldumal na pinaggagawa sa mga farmers dun. Untouchable po ba sila cory at danding at hindi magawang batikusin ng media about these two massacres?
hopeless_race : Kapag napaguusapan ang mendiola at hacienda luisita massacre ay parang walang nangyari at parang hindi big deal. Anu po ba ang pinagkaiba ng dalawang nabanggit na massacre sa maguindanao massacre?
hopeless_race : Its sad that we pinoys are blind to the fact of what had happened in mendiola and hacienda luisita. Ang tanong..bakit ang media ay hindi manlang matackle ang ganitong usapin? Takot ba sila kay cory at danding?
hopeless_race : Wilkins" brand, for P1.4 billion.-1999 Sugarland Multi-Food Corp. for P2.9 billion 2001- Purefoods Corp P7 billion P60 billion Coca-Cola ... See More 2002- Cosmos Bottling Corp. from RFM Corp. for P14.1 billion October 2008- GSIS' shares in Meralco worth PHP30 Billion. December 2008- country's biggest oil refiner, Petron Corporation. international company shopping spree: Australian boutique brewer J. Boag and Son for A$96 million in 2000. $97 million for Thai Amarit Brewery Ltd $35.5 mi
hopeless_race : Gud am..glad to be back.
jr_lad : rip mr. alecks pabico. you'll be greatly missed!
sevens21 : Dati input mo lng name at SSS ID makukuha mo agad STATIC INFO...
sevens21 : tawag ka sa HOTLINE nila walang ANSWER grrr we need pa namn ng static info SSS Gising!!!
sevens21 : Gawa naman po kayo ng article about SSS. Pangit ng site nila dali ma blocked ng account
guest_899 : we must check the background of each potential candidates to avoid having another big mistake like GMA
guest_899 : congratulations to PCIJ, more power and God Bless !
jazzymuver : how did Arroyo swallow that kind of things!! how come that she just spend the money our countrymen for her own sake!!
guest_3664 : i would be glad if u can include the investigation of the manner public officials announce infra projects as per COA regulation. It is frustrating to see their faces on the tarpaulin instead of the prescribed information like name of project, date of implementation,amount of contract, source/s of fund, among other things. This is very rampant here in Marikina. Thanks and more power on your noble endeavors. We need people like you to have make our country great again.
jhanz_08 : im making research on R.A 9136...with rgards to the privatization of NPC..could someone out there can let me understand more bout this matter?why was monopoly dismantled?email me..jhanycem@yahoo.com...thanks much
erika marie : P.S.:) my paper is due next week and i do hope someone could provide me these reports coming from reliable resources thank you ulit.
erika marie : P.S.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study regarding political killings in the philippines. could someone out there please send me human rights reports under Aquino and Ramos administration. you could send it at my email: erikamariet@yahoo.com your response would surely be very much appreciated. thank you everyone. god bless.
guest_4275 : i am currently doing a study for my paper regarding political killings in the philippines. i noted that there are no human rights reports during the Aquino and Ramos administration. could someone out there please send me reports regarding these matter? i do hope these reports came from reliable resources you could send it in my email; erikamariet@yahoo.comyour response would surely be appreciated. thanks everyone. god bless.
jayson bourne : gusto ko po maging member ng PCIJ, panu po ba? may application po ba? sana mapadalhan nyo ako ng info sa email ko... www.jboxpenshoppe@yahoo.com
jayson bourne : cory is OK, but kris & Noynoy sensationalize masyado...
guest_9891 : LABAN pa rin!
meow : boycotts worked during marcos years. how about doing it now against the businesses of the con-ass congressmen?
meow : aside from 168, what other establishments can we boycott that belong to the arroyos and their cronies?
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Journalists to sue Mike Arroyo

Posted by: Isa Lorenzo | November 22, 2006 at 11:26 pm
Filed under: Media

JOURNALISTS will soon give First Gentleman Mike Arroyo a taste of his own medicine.

Forty-two out of the 43 journalists facing libel charges filed by Arroyo are filing a class-action civil suit against the First Gentleman. They hope to raise the corresponding filing fees to be able to seek damages of P87 million (nearly US$1.75 million), which, they said, will serve as “a symbolic amount of one peso for every Filipino.”

Malaya publisher Amado “Jake” Macasaet, the 43rd journalist, did not sign the complaint. The journalists’ counsel Harry Roque quoted Macasaet as saying that Arroyo’s suit did not have a chilling effect on him.

Mr. Arroyo will be sued for “abuse of right and violation of constitutional right,” said Roque. The suit will allege violations of Articles 19, 20, 21 and 32 of the Civil Code, which deal with human relations.

Article 32, for one, states that “Any public officer or employee, or any private individual, who directly or indirectly obstructs, defeats, violates or in any manner impedes or impairs any of the following rights and liberties of another person shall be liable to the latter for damages.” One of the rights included is the freedom to write for the press or to maintain a periodical publication.

Marites Dañguilan Vitug, editor in chief of Newsbreak magazine and one of the 43 charged with libel, called on other journalists — including those who are not facing any libel suits — to join the group of plaintiffs.

“The deleterious effects of the filing of these libel cases affects everyone in the profession and in fact everyone in society,” Roque said. He plans to file the case at the Makati Regional Trial Court in the last week of November.

The minimum damages sought by the journalists is P5 million, after the Southeast Asian Press Alliance donated P100,000 for filing fees. Complainants, other media practitioners, and the public are also being asked for donations of any amount. A suggestion to solicit funding from opposition politicians has already been shot down.

Arroyo’s lawyer Ruy Rondain reportedly laughed when he heard of the case.

Roque asserts that Mr. Arroyo is a public figure because he is married to the president, and he occupies a public office, the Office of the First Gentleman. He adds that Arroyo, being a lawyer himself, must be aware that he is filing libel cases against articles which are in fact privileged communication.

Jurisprudence holds that fair commentaries on a public figure on matters of public interest is privileged communication, and thus, cannot be used as grounds to file a libel case.

Roque calls the case a “social experiment,” as it has, to his knowledge, no precedent. He adds that the case also fulfills a prerequisite, as under the International Covenant of Civil and Political Rights, one must exhaust all local remedies before filing a case before the United Nations Human Rights Committee.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2006 and is filed under Media. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

10 people have left comments

Isa, would you know why Jake Macasaet did not join the group?

tongue in, anew wrote on November 23, 2006 - 5:54 am | Visit Link

tongue,

I added a sentence to the entry to explain Macasaet’s reasons for not signing the complaint.

Isa Lorenzo wrote on November 23, 2006 - 2:48 pm | Visit Link

judicial recourse is not always the answer to our predicament .sometimes we must destroy in order to rebuild!

normandy bautista wrote on November 24, 2006 - 1:21 am | Visit Link

Isa,

where can i find and download the names of those 42 brave souls?

freewheel wrote on November 25, 2006 - 1:17 pm | Visit Link

freewheel,

the names of the 43 journalists facing libel cases by Arroyo are posted at ellen tordesillas’ blog here: http://www.ellentordesillas.com/?p=516.

just delete jake macasaet from the list and you have your 42.

Isa Lorenzo wrote on November 27, 2006 - 11:56 am | Visit Link

This is a very dangerous move on the part of the journalists. I can think of so many ways that Mike Arroyo can defend himself against the suit (and have it dismissed) and I can imagine how much he can ask for in a countersuit.

monk_x wrote on November 28, 2006 - 9:04 pm | Visit Link

Well, it’s not a matter of fear of counter suit, but if the journalists believe that they have a case, take the risk. Arroyo has at least the assets where to pay off the award, whereas on the other hand, he can sue the other party as much as he could, unless they are covered by lawsuits insurance and have substanstial assest to pay off the award, he won’t get nothing anyways. Remember that nobody should be imprisoned for debts…and they can’t even claim O.J. pensions for his civil liabilities..

naykika wrote on November 28, 2006 - 10:11 pm | Visit Link

I’m just saying that it appears to be a weak case and the journalists’ assets will be used to pay the First Gentleman if he succeeds.

monk_x wrote on November 29, 2006 - 1:10 am | Visit Link

By what measure do you say the journalists’ case is weak? Because Rondain was laughing? Or because the fart, Atty. Jess Santos says so? Of course, FatGuy’s lawyers are extremely happy that their already fat paychecks will even be doubled with this development.

Look who’s keenly watching the case. The SEAPA is throwing its full support behind their Pinoy colleagues they even shouldered the filing fees. The Belgium-based Int’l Federation of Journalists has made a similar declaration.

Victory in this case not only comes from what the judge says in the end. We all know it will be in the pig’s favor. The higher courts will look at it differently, with objectivity and fairness.

Victory may also be in the form of more active participation of journalists who are not in the pig’s payroll. Or by simply giving this asshole a dose of his own medicine.

My belief is that the filing alone is a moral victory already. By refusing to be cowed and taking him up in his own game, the journalists has just delivered one swift blow to the bloated bastard’s bloated ego.

tongue in, anew wrote on November 29, 2006 - 6:58 am | Visit Link

I do not have any problem with moral victories. I agree that this case probably constitutes such a victory. But legally, if we examine the cases falling under the provisions of the civil code cited by the journalists, then I have to say they have a very slim chance of winning in court. I hope they win. I just doubt that they will.

monk_x wrote on November 29, 2006 - 7:40 am | Visit Link