Daily Tribune publisher gets 2 years for libel

(Updated 11:40 a.m.) MANILA, Philippines - A Makati court on Thursday sentenced The Daily Tribune publisher and editor-in-chief Ninez Cacho-Olivares to six months to two years in prison after finding her guilty of libel. Radio dzBB's Lito Laparan reported that Judge Winlove Dumayas of the Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 59 handed down the decision and also ordered Olivares to pay P5 million for damages and P33,732 for civil damages to the Carpio Villaraza and Cruz (now Villaraza, Cruz, Marcelo and Angcangco) law firm. The lawsuit stemmed from an article written by Olivares in 2003 alleging that then Ombudsman Simeon Marcelo chose people supposedly "connected" to the law firm to handle a complaint by its client Asia’s Emerging Dragons Corp. (AEDC) against the winning bidder in the build-operate contract for the NAIA Terminal III and former secretaries of the Department of Transportation and Communications. In an interview with radio dzBB, Olivares said she expected the decision, even as she questioned the inclusion of a civil aspect on the case. "Expected ko na maco-convict ako pero bakit meron pang civil aspect pa at P33,000 na bayaran pa sa Villaraza (I expected that the court will hand a guilty verdict and convict me but I am puzzled why there was a civil aspect on the case and I have to pay P33,000 to Villaraza)," Olivares said. She added: "But I expected an impartial judgement. I expected fairness. But that is the way life is in this country... Alam mo naman dito (In this country)... I'm not the favorite of, I'm not exactly the love of Mrs (Gloria Macapagal) Arroyo," she added. The newspaper publisher noted the judge asked to pay a moral and civil charges which were never asked in the complaint. "That was never asked. Talagang diniin ako ng husto. (I was really put down.) Well, what can you do, there are so many powerful people in the Philippines," Olivares said. Olivares said she will appeal the decision although she does not expect the judge to reverse the decision, citing a Supreme Court circular telling judges that court decisions on libel cases should not carry jail terms. "First, (we will file a) motion for reconsideration, it would probably be denied then you go to the appellate court, then kung ma-uphold you still have the Supreme Court," Olivares said. The case was one of the 48 libel charges filed by "The Firm" against the Daily Tribune. The other cases are being heard on different Makati courts. "The Firm" was a label given to the law office because most of its members used to be the President’s and First Gentleman Jose Miguel Arroyo’s counsel However, there was a falling out between the two parties a couple of years ago. - Amita Legaspi, GMANews.TV