Columnist, publisher and editor get 30 years for libel

The Court of Appeals (CA) on Thursday affirmed a lower court ruling that sentenced to a maximum of 30 years in prison Abante Tonite columnist Raffy Tulfo, publisher Allen Macasaet and managing editor Nicolas Quijano Jr for committing libel against an airport customs official. In a 72-page decision penned by Associate Justice Andres Reyes Jr, the CA’s tenth division also ordered Tulfo, Macasaet and Quijano to each pay P14,784,000 to the complainant, lawyer Carlos “Ding" So, who worked as chief of the customs intelligence and investigation service at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA). In deciding in favor of So, the CA affirmed the ruling of Pasay City regional trial court (RTC) branch 108 dated Feb. 28, 2005 that found Tulfo, Macasaet and Quijano guilty of 14 counts of libel. In a series of columns in the tabloid Abante Tonite, Tulfo said his source at the customs bureau told him that So was extorting P50,000 or more from brokers and shippers at the Manila airport. He also wrote that So had an affair with a married woman. “It had been held many times by the Highest Court that there are statements which would not be covered by the Constitutional protection. In this case, there was enough proof of actual malice. There was also enough proof of reckless disregard of whether they are false or not. Thus, the said news articles are indeed libelous," the CA ruling said. -GMANews.TV