Journalist who testified in Sereno impeach proceedings admits receiving death threat

Veteran print journalist Jomar Canlas on Monday said he has received a death threat days after he testified in the impeachment proceedings against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno at the House of Representatives.

Canlas, senior reporter of the Manila Times, said he got two identical text messages on the afternoon of December 1, apparently telling him to say his last wishes to his wife and children.  

"P****** mo Jomar Canlas, 3 kami ang papatay syo, marami ka na kasalanan sa amin, magbilin ka na sa asawa mo at anak mo, bago ka mamatay. Hdi to pananakot, ds time, talagang patay ka jomar," the text message read.

Canlas met with Manila Police District director Chief Superintendent Joel Coronel on Monday afternoon to report the incident. He is expected to report the same to the National Bureau of Investigation.

The reporter believes the threats may have something to do with his testimony at the House justice committee on November 27 when he talked about the story he had written regarding the allegation that Sereno falsified a court resolution in 2013. 

During the hearing, Canlas denied he told impeachment complainant and lawyer Lorenzo "Larry" Gadon that Supreme Court Associate Justice Teresita de Castro was the source of information that Sereno allegedly tampered with the temporary restraining order (TRO) in connection with the petition filed by Senior Citizens party-list.

Two days later, De Castro confirmed to the committee that she contested the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by Sereno on behalf of the SC on May 29, 2013, accusing the chief magistrate of omitting her recommendation to stop the disqualification of the Senior Citizens party-list only, and not the party-list proclamation itself.

Sereno’s TRO was not ratified by her colleagues during the SC's special session on June 5, 2013 as the justices decided to issue a status quo ante order on the disqualification of Senior Citizens.

De Castro had also denied giving any information to Canlas, who declined to disclose to lawmakers his sources, invoking Republic Act (RA) No. 53, as amended by RA No. 1477, also known as the Shield Law or Sotto Law. — RSJ, GMA News