SOUND engineer Jonathan Tiongco filed this morning five counts of libel against PCIJ executive director Sheila Coronel and counsel Sandra Olaso-Coronel, following their appearance in a Senate hearing on March 14.
Tiongco also sued nine other media executives and their reporters, for publishing and airing what he said were “libelous quotations” from the PCIJ.
Those included in the suit are: Letty Magsanoc, Isagani Yambot, Norman Bordadora, and Philip Tubeza of the Philippine Daily Inquirer; Maria Ressa, Luchie Cruz-Valdez, and Lynda Jumilla of the ABS-CBN; and Katrice Jalbuena and Ronnie Calumpita of the Manila Times.
The libel case is Tiongco’s seventh suit against the PCIJ and the fourth against ABS-CBN. Yet Tiongco, in his latest complaint, says he is the one being harassed by PCIJ. He also did not sue other networks and newspapers that ran similar reports on the Senate hearing.
More here from the Malaya:
In a six-page complaint, Tiongco said the PCIJ respondents defamed his name during a Senate hearing on March 14 on the alleged media crackdown.
He said the two falsely accused him in their statements that he, together with the police, applied but failed to get a search warrant on March 10 in Quezon City in connection with the inciting to sedition charges filed against PCIJ last year; that he, together with the police, having failed to get a search warrant, went to Branch 76 of the QC Regional Trial Court on March 13 but again failed; that he and his wife were harassing the PCIJ by filing several libel cases; that Tiongco "has made it his career to harass and intimidate the PCIJ"; and that the respondents also called him "crazy."
Tiongco said he never applied for a search warrant against the PCIJ. He said libel was committed when Coronel’s statements were published in newspapers on March 15.
He said Coronel narrated at the Senate hearing that presidential chief of staff Michael Defensor told her that Tiongco was "crazy."
But Tiongco said Defensor denied uttering such words in their phone conversation
"Never applied for a search warrant", my ass, Jonathan. Crazy Mutherfucker.
=====
Francis Escudero on the Government's Initiative to Cha Cha: "They stole our right (to choose our leader) in the last election. Now, they want to do it twice in as many years."
From MLQ Tres on Miriam:
Senator Santiago goes on ‘indefinite sick leave’ amidst speculation the Palace wants her to disown her having previously derailed the Pirma scheme during Ramos’s presidency.
I think Manuel's referring to this effort by Miriam back in 1997:
Santiago asks SC to widen scope of tro vs. signature drive
SENATOR Miriam Santiago is asking the Supreme Court to stop all groups and not just Pirma, from conducting a signature campaign to amend the Constitution.
Several groups, among them the Liga ng mga Barangay, have undertaken their own signature drive saying the temporary restraining order (TRO) only covers Pirma and the Commission on Elections...
...Santiago today asked the Supreme Court to amend its temporary restraining order against Pirma. Santiago wants the court to stop all signature campaigns aimed at amending the Constitution.
Malaya Editorial: Cha Cha a diversion
This is the reason for the launching of the parallel campaign for people’s initiative. There’s no doubt local officials, who are mostly in the pocket of Gloria, can deliver the required 12 percent of registered voters. People’s initiative, however, faces formidable blocks. The Supreme Court has ruled that the law on people’s initiative applies only to legislation. It does not adequately flesh out the people’s initiative provision for charter changes.
So what do we make then of the frenzied Cha-cha efforts?
Our suspicion is that Gloria is just trying to divert attention from the single most important issue facing the nation. And that’s the illegitimacy of her government and the calls for her ouster/resignation.
She is succeeding. So far. But the days are closing in for the filing another impeachment complaint before Congress.
Cha-cha will recede into the background. We’ll be back to where we started. And that is how to force an illegitimate president out of office.
From Ernie Maceda:
The reports have come in from the countryside to Metro Manila that P200-P500 was paid for every signature on the attendance sheets during Saturday’s barangay assemblies to be used for the Charter change (Cha-cha) initiative petition.
It was confirmed by outraged local executives that P1,000 per signature was released, or a P500-P800-incentive or cut per signature for every local official concerned. A barangay tanod in Rizal admitted on TV that she got P20 for every signature she solicited. A favorite city mayor and several favored provincial governors got P100 million in releases to the chagrin of Finance Secretary Gary Teves.
The target is to get 20 percent of the registered voters or eight million signatures. A total of P8 billion could be spent for this Cha-cha exercise, which a desperate President must push to head off a 2nd impeachment proceeding.
UPDATE: Poll officers bribed to ‘verify’ Cha-cha signatures
It’s looks like a repeat of the 2004 election payoffs and cheating all over again.
More here:
Roxas, in filing a resolution to effect a probe on the DILG circulars and barangay assemblies, denounced Malacanang for deceiving the public and undermining the laws providing for the people’s initiative.
The senator said he will see to it that an investigation will be called to order the soonest possible time even if officials to be called by them will be prevented by Malacanang by invoking Executive Order 464.
“Expectedly, they will invoke EO 464. But that should not deter us from doing our job. If no one among those to be called by the Senate will attend (the called hearings), they will only make it obvious to the public the real motive in this people’s initiative,” warned Roxas.
Both Roxas and Gordon said the matter of people’s initiative, contrary to what Malacanang is supposedly trying to feed to the public through barangay officials, would not uplift the current situation in the country as well as status of every individual.
“There is no connection between Cha-cha and improving people’s lives. This is not something like magic that everything could just change. Cha-cha is not the solution but political will, leadership and good governance are,” he added.
Gordon, chair of the Senate committee on constitutional amendments, revision of codes and laws, opted to take to the floor the issue, saying this is the work of “political opportunists with forked tongues whispering sweet chicanery, promising a cure for all the nation’s ills.”
“I stand before you today…to call for the strengthening of liberal democracy…This democracy is under severe threat from faceless people who come like thieves in the night, hoping to seize power while the Filipino people sleep soundly on the bed of their apathy,” Gordon said in a privilege speech.
“Today we bear witness to a time in our history when the Constitution is steadily losing its value. Politicians motivated by blind ambition and selfish interest have made a travesty of the Constitution by blatantly ignoring the processes that it prescribes in its sacred pages that should govern the conduct of our country. The political maelstrom that continues to plague our country has tested our character and say to say, Mr. President, we have found wanting.
“This lack of legal foundation has not stopped its proponents from taking steps to promote this initiative, another vivid example of cheap politics and lack of regard for the rule of law which continues to steal our dignity as a people and as a nation,” he added.
=====
Lito Banayo on Ronald the Tree.
=====
Gloria losing Visayas, Mindanao support
President Arroyo continues to be the most unpopular President the country has ever had, with her losing even more support from the Filipino people nationwide, including her claimed bailiwick, the Visayas.
It is not only the Filipinos from the National Capital Region and the balance of Luzon who express serious dissatisfaction over Mrs. Arroyo and her performance in office. She has started to lose as well the Filipinos in the Visayas and Mindanao regions, with 48 percent, or three percent short of a simple majority of Visayan respondents saying they are dissatisfied with Mrs. Arroyo, while a majority, or 55 percent of respondents from Mindanano, expressed the same dissatisfaction, the first quarter survey results of the Social Weather Stations showed.
Mrs. Arroyo is also fast losing the support of the D and E socio-economic class, with 58 percent of the E class expressing dissatisfaction with her, while the D class remained at a majority of 53 percent.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment