Newspaper columnist receives death threat

A newspaper columnist who has been charged with libel by the husband of Philippine President Gloria Arroyo received a death threat through the e-mail on 12 November.

Ellen Tordesillas, columnist and chief of reporters of the daily newspaper Malaya, found the threatening message on her e-mail at around 3 p.m. shortly after sending her column. The message, coming from the address danie11aperez80@yahoo.com, was time-stamped 7:21 a.m. of the same day.

The letter said: “What kind of death do you prefer? To die of cancer? To die of accident? To die of ambush? To die of heart attack due to your libel suit? Masyado kang matapang ha? Puro banat mo sa Pangulo dahil hindi ka napartehan ng gracia kahit kaunti. (You’re very brave, aren’t you? You keep criticizing the President just because you did not even get to have a tiny share of the blessings.) Your days are numbered.”

Tordesillas, a cancer survivor, said she has no idea who sent the mail but she has already reported the incident to the National Bureau of Investigation.

Tordesillas is one of 43 journalists sued for libel by Jose Miguel Arroyo, husband of the president. She has posted a bail bond of P10,500 on 16 October after a Manila court issued a warrant of arrest.

Arroyo filed the libel complaint against Tordesillas, Malaya publisher Amado Macasaet, former senator Francisco Tatad and other members of the newspaper staff over a report that appeared on 19 May 2004 that said the president’s husband acted as her “chief cheating operator” in the presidential elections.

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