Mediamen na kinasuhan ng libel sa Pangasinan, tiniyak na haharapin ang kaso

Libel case respondent Mortz Ortigoza. He is one of the three staff of Northern Watch Newspaper who was sued by Board Member Alfie Bince

DAGUPAN CITY - Nakahandang harapin ng ilang mamamahayag ang kasong isinampa laban sa kanila ni 6th district board member Alfonso Bince.

Ayon sa kolumnistang si Mortz Ortigoza ng Weekly newspaper, nagtataka rin siya kung bakit magsasampa ng kaso si Bince gayong hindi nabanggit ang pangalan nito at walang direktang akusasyon laban sa kanya na tumatanggap ng jueteng payola.

Binigyang diin ni Mortz na hindi siya dapat ang idinemanda ni Bince kundi ang kanyang source.

Itinuturing ni Mortz na ito ay harassment sa kanila bilang media practioner dahil nandamay pa ng iba.

Sa pangyayaring ito, lalo umanong nagduda ang ilan na tumanggap nga ng jueteng payola ang ilang lokal na opisyal.

Una rito, pormal nang isinampa ang kasong libelo laban kay Ortigoza at iba pang mamamahayag dahil sa umano'y mapanirang artikulo na umano'y tumatanggao ng P40,000 na jueteng payola ang mga bokal sa lalawigan na pinabulaanan naman ng mga board member (Bombo Radyo ).

Board member files libel raps vs newspaper columnist, others

 

LINGAYEN, Pangasinan, Oct. 18 — A provincial Board Member of Pangasinan has filed a case of libel against a newspaper columnist who wrote an item allegedly insinuating that members of the legislative body are receiving P40,000 each as monthly payola from operators of the illegal numbers game “jueteng”.
After weeks of contemplating on whether to pursue the case, Sixth District Provincial Board Member Alfonso Bince Jr. finally made up his mind to file the suit against Mortz Ortigoza, columnist of the weekly newspaper “Northern Watch”.
Invoking Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code in filing the case, Bince included as among the respondents Yolanda Sotelo, publisher; Brando Cortez, editor; and one John Doe, proprietor of the newspaper.
The case stemmed from the July 24, 2011 issue of the paper in which Ortigoza wrote in his column entitled “Perspective” that most provincial board members were receiving P40,000 monthly payola from jueteng, quoting another Provincial Board Member, Danilo Uy, of the fifth district of Pangasinan.
He insinuated in his column that some board members were adamant in welcoming the Loterya ng Bayan (LnB) as they were allegedly receiving P40,000 monthly payola from jueteng.
Uy, who Ortigoza said was the source of his claim, flatly denied the statement, stressing that he never said those words attributed to him by the columnist. (PNA)