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DOJ Senior State Prosecutor filed libel charges with the Manila Prosecutor's Office.
August 15, 2003
A DOJ Senior State Prosecutor and three other officials of the Commission on the Settlement of Land Problems (COSLAP) formally filed libel charges with the Manila Prosecutor's Office.
Named respondents are Wilfredo Morales, Chief Legal Officer of COSLAP; Rogelio Salazar, Julie Yap Daza and Jing Villamente, President/CEO, Editor-in-Chief and Reporter, respectively, of Manila Standard; and Nats Taboy and Mark Obleada, President and Reporter; respectively, of Imbestigador.
The complaint for libel was filed by Senior State Prosecutor Teresita Domingo, Teresa Atis, COSLAP Resident Auditor; Ma. Belinda Avergonzado, Financial Management Officer and Jo-Ann Alcid, Administrative Officer of COSLAP.
The complaint stemmed from the publication on June 11, 2003 of the articles entitled "COSLAP Execs Accused of Faking Overtime" by Manila Standard and on June 12, 2003, "Imbestigador" entitled "Graft and Corruption Isinampa vs. 4 Opisyal ng Gobyerno."
According to Prosecutor Domingo, there was a plan and program for the overtime, authority to render overtime, monitoring of the same pursuant to the Implementing Rules of Book V of E.O. 292; and each and every employee received his corresponding overtime pay pursuant to the accomplishment report. Furthermore, the matter has already been audited by the COA Auditor.
Additionally, "complainant Morales knows very well that there was no irregularity whatsoever in the said overtime received by the employees, and yet he concocted and fabricated the alleged story and caused the publication to destroy and malign the reputation of the complainants", Atty. Domingo stressed.
Commenting on the rest of the respondents, Domingo said, the respondents did not even bother to check on the veracity of the complaint which they could have easily done had they approached any of the complainants for comment and who could have shown them all the documents negating the complaint.
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