Aguirre sues Tulfo, Inquirer eds for libel, seeks P1 in ‘symbolic’ damages

Ex-Justice secretary Vitaliano Aguirre II has filed a complaint of libel and cyber libel against columnist Ramon Tulfo, Jr., and several editors and officers of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and its tabloid Bandera.

He sought damages in the "symbolic" amount of one peso "to end the proliferation of fake news and its appurtenant lies and calumny against anyone this country."

Aguirre, who had been called "fake news king" himself, lodged 12 counts of cyber libel and 10 counts of libel before the Manila prosecutor's office against Tulfo, Inquirer publishers Marixi Prieto, Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez and Renato Reinoso, and six others on Thursday.

The other respondents were Inquirer executive editor Jose Ma. Nolasco, opinion editor Rosario Garcellano, online associate editor Abelardo Ulanday and Bandera publisher Eileen Mangubat, editor-in-chief Dona Policar, deputy editor Jimmy Alcantara, and other yet unidentified officers and editors.

Aguirre took issue with at least 12 columns written by Tulfo and published in the Inquirer, Bandera, and digital platform Inquirer.net between August 26, 2017 and April 3, 2018.

These columns covered topics such as Aguirre's statements in connection with the killing of minor Kian delos Santos; his alleged courtship of a religious group; his alleged complicity in an extortion case against two Immigration deputy commissioners; deaths supposedly linked to an anti-dengue vaccine; and alleged pork barrel scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles.

Many of the articles in question accused the former Justice secretary of lacking the competence to hold the office—remarks that along with the other writings were, Aguirre said, "defamatory" and motivated by "ill-will."

"His ill-will against me stems from my denial of his unwarranted and illegal request for my intercession in his behalf for the pending criminal charges against him filed before the National Prosecution Service," Aguirre alleged of Tulfo.

Tulfo "raised his personal vendetta to destroy my name and reputation in a public spectacle," he said.

"Through the use of lies, deceit, fabrications, falsehoods, and malicious attribution of act never done by me, respondent Tulfo painted a public portrait that I am incompetent, corrupt, and unworthy of the public office that I used to occupy," he added.

Aguirre resigned from the DOJ in April, weeks after the controversy that erupted after it was learned that state prosecutors had dismissed charges against several suspected drug personalities.

GMA News Online has sought comment from the Inquirer. — BM, GMA News