ni Madel Moratillo | June 25, 2020
Inabsuwelto ng Quezon City Regional Trial Court sa kasong libelo ang mga opisyal ng pahayagang BULGAR.
Sa desisyon ni QC RTC Branch 93 JUDGE ARTHUR MALABAGUIO, nakasaad na ibinasura ang kasong isinampa ni Cristina Decena laban kina Ryan Sison, Executive Publisher ng BULGAR; Janice Navida, Editor ng showbiz section ng pahayagan; at Cristy Fermin, kolumnista, dahil sa kabiguan ng prosekusyon na patunayang nagkasala ang mga akusado.
"Wherefore, in view of the foregoing, judgement is hereby rendered acquitting the accused Cristy Fermin, Ryan Sison and Janice Navida of the crime of Libel, for failure of the prosecution to prove their guilt beyond reasonable doubt," bahagi ng desisyon ng korte.
Nag-ugat ang kaso sa isang artikulo na isinulat ni Fermin sa kanyang column na "Most Wanted" noong Abril, 2015 kung saan binanggit ang kasong estafa na isinampa ng isang Maria Teresa del Mundo kay Decena.
Giit ni Decena, layon lamang umano ng nasabing artikulo na i-discredit siya at gawing katawa-tawa. Pero ayon sa korte, wala namang kasinungalingan sa nasabing artikulo dahil mayroon talagang kasong kriminal na nakasampa laban kay Decena.
"From the foregoing, it is clear that there was nothing untruthful about what was published in the subject article. The criminal cases mentioned in the article are existing and had indeed been filed between the private complainant and Teresa del Mundo. It may have been inconvenient for the private complainant that these matters may have been divulged, yet such information hardly falls within any realm of privacy complainant could invoke, since the pendency of these criminal charges are actually matters of public record," bahagi pa ng nakasaad sa desisyon ng korte. Binigyang diin pa ng korte na walang malisya sa nasabing artikulo at pasok sa probisyon ng Konstitusyon na nagbibigay proteksiyon sa freedom of speech and expression.
"Aside from the fact that the information contained in said publication was essentially true, the intention to let the public know the character of their host and or endorser can at best be subsumed under the mantle of having been done with good motives and for justifiable ends. The article in question falls squarely within the bounds of constitutionally protected expression under Section 4 Article 3 and thus, acquittal is mandated," bahagi pa ng desisyon ng Quezon City RTC.
Giit pa ni Judge Malabaguio, hindi maaaring parusahan ng korte ang isang mamamahayag kasama ang publisher nito sa kanilang pagnanais na magawa ang kanilang tungkulin.
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