Councilor includes journalists in libel complaint against fellow politician

CMFR/Philippines – A councilor in Cagayan de Oro City filed a libel complaint on 2 July 2014 against a fellow city councilor, but included the editor-in-chief and the reporters of the newspaper that published the allegedly libelous remarks. Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals in Manila dismissed a four-year old libel complaint against a newspaper reporter on 29 July 2014.

Cagayan de Oro City in Mindanao Island is approximately 1,400 kilometers south of Metro Manila.

Cagayan de Oro City Councilor President Elipe filed a libel complaint with the City Prosecutors’ office against fellow city councilor Enrico Salcedo over an issue connected with the city’s budgeting.

Elipe included three journalists from the Gold Star Daily newspaper in the libel complaint: Editor-in-chief Herbie Gomez and correspondents Nitz Arancon and Ben Balce.

A report in the Gold Star Daily on February 2014 said Salcedo had accused Elipe of asking the mayor to set aside PHP 1 million (some USD 23,000) for every member of the local legislature in exchange for the city council’s approval of the city chief executive’s proposed PHP 2.6 billion (some USD 59.6 million) 2014 budget.

Gomez told CMFR that the paper included Elipe’s side when it reported Salcedo’s allegation, “but that Salcedo claimed he could not file the complaint without including us.”

Gomez said the journalists had already filed a counter-affidavit on 5 August 2014 and were hoping the case against them would not reach the trial court.

Meanwhile, the Court of Appeals on 29 July 2014 released a decision dated 17 June 2014 reversing the Quezon City regional trial court’s February 2012 order denying the motion to quash of Philippine Daily Inquirer senior reporter Cynthia Balana in a libel suit filed against her.

Businessman Reghis Romero II filed the libel complaint against Balana in 2010 over Balana’s report on allegedly anomalous government spending that involved Romero’s business company.

According to an Inquirer report, the QC regional trial court dismissed the case in 30 June 2014 after Romero  dropped the criminal case  after meeting with Balana and her lawyer in the same month.