The Supreme Court has junked a petition filed by Jose Miguel Arroyo,husband of Gloria Arroyo, which sought to dismiss the damage suit filed against him by a group of journalists whom he hauled to court for libel.
In a minute resolution, the Supreme Court ruled that the Court of Appeals did not commit a reversible error in sustaining the ruling of Judge Zenaida Galapate Laguilles of the Regional Trial Court of Makati City, Branch 143.
Judge Galapate-Laguilles had previously denied the presidential spouse’s motion to dismiss the P12.5-million class suit. The First Gentleman cited the failure of the journalists to immediately answer the written interrogatory within the prescribed extended period.
“The Court resolves to deny the petition for failure of petitioner to sufficiently show that the Court of Appeals committed any reversible error in the challenged decision and resolution,” the SC stated in a resolution dated March 10, 2010 but released only recently.
The class suit against Arroyo was filed in December 2006 by the Center for Media Freedom and Responsibility, Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, The Daily Tribune, Niñez Cacho Olivarez, Marites Vitug, Glenda Gloria, Ricky Carandang, Romulo Mariñas, Gina Capili Inciong, Gerry Baldo, Sherwin Olaes, Lito Banayo, Rustico Otico, Ma. Concepcion Cruz, Miriam Grace Go, Romina Gonzalez, Gemma Bagayaua, JP Lopez, Regina Bengco, Minnie Advincula, Ellen Tordesillas, William Esposo, Jose Pavia, Rowena Paraan, Sweet May Cawicaan, Jofelle Tesorio, Jose Bimbo Santos, Rachel Khan, Ma. Cristina Rodriguez, Yvonne Chua, Alcuin Papa, Ramon Tulfo, Erwin Tulfo, Conrado de Quiros, Nixon Cua and Vergel Santos de Dios of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism Inc.
It stemmed from Mike Arroyo’s filing of about 15 libel suits involving 46 journalists.
The group demanded “the symbolic amount” of P12.5 million in damages for “anxiety, loss of income and other inconveniences” caused by the libel suits that were variously filed against them by the First Gentleman.
In their complaint, the journalists claimed that the First Gentleman has abused his rights and violated the freedom of the press when he filed the numerous libel cases against them.
The case at the Makati RTC is in the stage of judicial dispute resolution wherein the judge is trying to get the two parties to settle the case without going to trial.
That’s why Gloria appoints Corona at SC, some of her justices are already making akyat-bakod to the other side. Hindi na malakas si Mike, lame pig na sya.
Baka masugod na naman si FG sa St. Lukes!!! Sana nga!!
This looks like payback time!
How does it feel like being on the receiving end for a change, piggy-boy ? Not only are you (and your fucking mama-san wife’s) days numbered, P12.5 M is a not really enough a number to feed you to the hogs.
You play poker, Porky ? Pusoy dos,maybe ? Man, you are a dumb one. You knew you only had a pair and you had the gumpton to bet on what you had. Well, as you can very well see, not only did the journalists called your bet, they even raised the ante.
But then again you already know how the game is played. You just didn’t count that the other hands will stand their ground and beat the hell out of you on your own game.
Bottom line, YOU LOSE——-BIG TIME !!!
As the saying goes, “what goes around, comes around”.
Oink, oink!!! 😛
Ano ba naman yan Ph12.5 milyon ” anxiety damages “, maliit iyan kumpara sa mga bilyones, marahil, na kinita sa 10-taong pag-upo sa gobyerno ( produkto ng Hello Garci, Edsa-2, na alanganin ). Iyan ay totoong “symbolic amount”, ang problema, dahil sa naka-ugat na yata ang ” greed-tuso-mapanglinlang ” na kaugalian, ay baka di pa ma-ibigay sa mga biktima ( journalists )…At ang pangyayari ay isa pang pagsubok, kung malakas pa sila, lalo na, tuma-taob na ang bangka ng “PALAKA”, at ang mga dating nakikinabang ay naghahanap ng bagong kanlungan, at pag-papasiguro…Sana dumami ang alalay ng LP sa kongreso, para di manalo ang TUSONG ambisyon ng magiting na kapampangan, bilang ” speaker ” of the house..Sana naman matauhan na ang magigiting na mambabatas ( bago at luma ), na sila ay nahalal ( voted ) para hindi mag-pa” UNDER-de SAYA”, kundi gamitin nila ang karunungan galing sa DIYOS para sa kapa-kanan ng mga TAONG BAYAN..Ito’y ginawang halimbawa nina
Hen. Bangit, at Hen Versoza ( AFP-at-PNP ), tunay na naglingkod sa bayan, at tamang gawain, malayo, at di katulad ng panahon ni ERAP ( Edsa-2 ), niyurakan ang Saligang Batas,para sa sariling kapa-kanan o ambisyon ( POWER, POWER and Power, Money !! Money !! and Money !!). Pagtulungan natin si Pres. NoyNoy admin. na mabago ang takbuhin ng politika at gobyerno sa Pilipinas, alang-alang sa ikabubuti ng susunod na henerasyon..
12.5 millions poor johnny pesos,that’s only a drop in a barrel,not bucket,due of billions of washington greens,been stash away from foreign contracts now been invested to a legitmate financial institutions,kaya blanko ang investigations sa mga ebindensiya.Sana bilyones din ang isinampang damages para tumaas ang blood pressure at ma- meet niya si Taning na creator nilang mag dyowa.
FG – Fat Graft, Goodbye…. i love to see you go & never comeback! oink… oink… oink…!!
Toneladang crispy pata ang mabili ng 12.5 million pesos.
Statement of the National Union of Journalists:
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) welcomes the Supreme Court decision that junked First Gentleman Mike Arroyo’s bid to stop the hearings of the P12.5-million class suit filed by journalists for his unconstitutional attempts to curtail press freedom.
Arroyo tried but failed to get a Court of Appeals order for the Makati regional trial court to continue hearing the class suit, which was filed after Arroyo filed multiple libel charges against more than 40 journalists, in what the media community rightly saw as a blatant abuse of the power and privileges his being presidential spouse bestowed on him.
We are confident that the courts will hear and decide the case on its merits.
For so long, the powerful and influential have resorted to libel cases, relying on a draconian law that dates back to the American colonial period and was meant to muzzle dissent than anything else, to harass or silence the independent Philippine press.
We once again call on Congress to go beyond lip service and empty platitudes. Trash that pending bill that actually worsens the already existing libel law and pass the long overdue legislation decriminalizing libel.
Nestor Burgos Jr.
NUJP Chair
Ha ha ha!
Members of the supreme court don’t make us believe that you are independent from the poisonous tentacles of the arroyo family.
We know that when the fg is found guilty, the pig will appeal and his appeal will be sustained by the court of appeals.
But when it will reach to the arroyo court, the dishonorable members will cite technicalities to over rule the lower court finding.
Naku naman! Don’t make us fool.
Ha ha ha!
Members of the supreme court don’t make us believe that you are independent from the poisonous tentacles of the arroyo family.
We know that when the fg is found guilty, the pig will appeal and it will not be sustained by the court of appeals.
But when it will reach to the arroyo court, the dishonorable members will cite technicalities to over rule the lower court finding.
Naku naman! Don’t make us fool.
Buti nga sa kanya. Baboy!