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 3 months, 4 weeks 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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Newsbreak editors decry Arroyo libel suit

Posted by: Alecks P. Pabico | December 15, 2006 at 6:26 pm
Filed under: Media

FIVE editors of the award-winning fortnightly magazine Newsbreak decried the issuance by a Manila prosecutor yesterday of a resolution approving the filing of libel charges against them in connection with an article on Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The magazine’s editor-in-chief Marites Dañguilan Vitug, managing editor Glenda Gloria, editorial consultant Jose Dalisay, former contributing editor Booma Cruz, and former business editor Ricky Carandang immediately posted bail yesterday. They denied that the concerned article — titled “More Properties?” — was libelous. Published on November 10, 2003, the report discussed alleged undisclosed Arroyo properties in San Francisco, California.

Manila Assistant City Prosecutor Fredy Gomez wrote and issued the court resolution dated November 13, 2006, stating that the five editors, “meant and intended to convey false and malicious insinuations” against the First Gentleman, “imputed… a crime…”

The resolution further said that the Newsbreak story was “highly libelous and offensive and derogatory to the good name, character and reputation…of the First Gentleman” and “solely prepared, written, and published by the accused for no other purpose than to impeach and besmirch” Arroyo.

In a statement (see full text below), Vitug said: “It’s amazing that we’ve been singled out for prosecution. The message we’re getting is this: no matter how responsible journalists are, you can no longer seek protection in the law.”

Though unfazed by the libel suit, Vitug expressed concern about the impact of the case on the journalism profession.

The Newsbreak editors are among 43 Filipino journalists currently facing libel suits filed by Arroyo.

In November, police tried to arrest Mia Gonzalez in Malacañang. Gonzalez, a Business Mirror reporter and vice president for print of the Malacañang press corps, had written an article in Newsbreak, for which she was sued by Arroyo, arguing that her report portrayed him as “crooked”.

In the same month, Malaya senior reporter and columnist Ellen Tordesillas received an e-mailed death threat.

Forty-two of the 43 journalists have since filed a class-action civil suit against the First Gentleman for “abuse of right and violation of constitutional right.”

Statement
Dec. 14, 2006

On the Libel Suit of First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo versus Newsbreak

Yesterday, we received a tip that the Manila prosecutor had issued a resolution charging us with libel in the case of First Gentleman Miguel Arroyo versus the following from Newsbreak Magazine: Marites Danguilan Vitug, editor in chief, Glenda M. Gloria, managing editor, Ricky Carandang, former business editor, R.E. Otico, editorial consultant, Jose Dalisay, editorial consultant, and Booma Cruz, former contributing editor.

The resolution dated Nov. 13, 2006 and penned by Fredy Gomez, assistant city prosecutor (Manila), said that we, the accused, “meant and intended to convey false and malicious insinuations” against the First Gentleman, “imputed… a crime…” and therefore our story was “highly libelous and offensive and derogatory to the good name, character and reputation…of the First Gentleman.”

The resolution further said that the article was “*solely prepared, written, and published by the accused for no other purpose than to impeach and besmirch*” Mr. Arroyo.

The same prosecutor, in the information, said that our intent was to “expose” Mr. Arroyo to “public hatred, contempt and ridicule…” and that we were “clearly bent in destroying his reputation.”

Clearly, our story is not libelous. It’s amazing that we’ve been singled out for prosecution. The message we’re getting is this: no matter how responsible journalists are, you can no longer seek protection in the law.

It is quite unfortunate that the Manila prosecutor misunderstands the role of the press. Never in the course of our work do we write “solely to besmirch” the reputation of a person. Our foremost duty is to inform readers on issues that are vital to public interest. Mr. Arroyo is only one among many public figures we have written about.

We’re ready to face Mr. Arroyo in court. We worry, though, about the impact of this libel case on our profession.

*Background*:

The story referred to is a short “Inside Track” item (Dec. 8, 2003) following our cover story on the Arroyos’ undeclared properties in San Francisco, California (November 10, 2003). We said that in the course of our research on the California properties, we got leads from reliable sources about two houses, the addresses of which we provided, allegedly owned by Mr. Arroyo. We said that we searched the ownership and acquisition details of these properties but these yielded names that could not be linked to the First Gentleman. We said that our sources told us that the one who supposedly acquired the properties for Mr. Arroyo was a male relative of his who’s into real estate business in California.

The article was very transparent: we said these were leads and that we pursued them and stated our findings. Our cover story on the Arroyos’ undeclared properties in San Francisco provides proper context to this follow-up article.

Marites Danguilan Vitug
Editor in Chief
Newsbreak

This entry was posted on Friday, December 15th, 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.

9 people have left comments

When a law is made unjust by those in power and use it for their own benefit , such law , in such times, is worth breaking. I say therefore BREAK THAT LAW!

normandy bautista wrote on December 16, 2006 - 5:07 am | Visit Link

When laws are broken to grab power and use the laws to stay in power and use power to oppress those who can only take refuge in the laws, such oppressors are worth breaking to pieces. I say therefore BREAK THE HEADS OF THOSE LAW-BREAKERS!

Juan Makabayan wrote on December 17, 2006 - 7:29 pm | Visit Link

[...] PHILIPPINES - Newsbreak editors decry Arroyo libel suit “FIVE editors of the award-winning fortnightly magazine Newsbreak decried the issuance by a Manila prosecutor yesterday of a resolution approving the filing of libel charges against them in connection with an article on Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of Glor [...]

AsiaPundit » Blog Archive » links for 2006-12-19 wrote on December 19, 2006 - 1:39 pm | Visit Link

Libangin na lang natin ang ating mga sarili sa panunuod ng mga “gag shows” na kung saan ay makikita natin ang mga kakatwang kaasalan ng mga pulitikong ginagagad ng mga artista…. he.he.he….Sa panahon ngayon, ay hindi mo na kayang gawing pananggalang ang iyong pluma at papel…. Babarilin ka sa Luneta kapag nagpumilit kang isulat ang katotohanang gusto mong magpalaya sa adhikaing nakagapos sa tanikala ng pagkaalipin sa mga taong nakaluklok sa trono ng kapangyarihan….

Leo wrote on December 20, 2006 - 9:58 pm | Visit Link

The laws on libel are a decent law-abiding citizen’s recourse against attempts by irresponsible journalists to sully his reputation. Let the courts decide if Mike Arroyo indeed filed the cases simply to harrass the journalists. It’s disgusting when journalists feel no compunction about destroying other people’s reputations, then cry foul when the tables are turned on them.

bluemoon wrote on December 21, 2006 - 5:39 pm | Visit Link

“The laws on libel are a decent law-abiding citizen’s recourse against attempts by irresponsible journalists to sully his reputation.”

first, you are presupposing that all those whom Mike A. sued are irresponsible journalists — considering the fact that it was his own words being quoted and his own actions being reported.

second, you are presupposing that Mike A. has a reputation to sully — considering the fact that it was his own words being quoted and his own actions being reported.

finally, you are presupposing that Mike A. is a law-abiding citizen. ’nuff said.

disgusting, these journalists certainly are.

jester-in-exile wrote on December 21, 2006 - 6:09 pm | Visit Link

[...] Also, is it coincidental that the editors of Newsbreak are also part of the group of journalist facing libel suits filed by the First Gentleman? [...]

RP news magazine ends print edition (to go online) at Cyberbaguioboy wrote on January 23, 2007 - 1:41 am | Visit Link

[...] “The message we’re getting is this: no matter how responsible journalists are, you can no longer seek protection in the law,” Newsbreak editor in chief Marites Dañguilian Vitug said in an earlier statement. [...]

INSIDE PCIJ » Press freedom under threat wrote on March 8, 2007 - 9:39 pm | Visit Link

[...] United States. So has the Arroyo family as a whole been put to deep controversy with issues like undeclared property purchased abroad. These talks still don’t really matter the most, and even if there’s [...]

RP 2010 - What Teens Say About Philippine Election time | PTO wrote on September 2, 2009 - 10:46 am | Visit Link