Tomas sues Guardo over claim he stalled relief drive

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña has filed libel charges against businessman Jonathan Guardo, the editor-in-chief of Sunstar Cebu and one of its reporters before the City Prosecutors Office yesterday for allegedly publishing a malicious and libelous news article two weeks ago.

This after Guardo accused the city of trying to stop the latter’s distribution of food to fire victims in barangay Calamba two weeks ago.

Respondents were Guardo, Sunstar editor-in-chief Pacheco Seares and reporter Rene Martel.

The mayor, in his affidavit, took quotes from the January 10, 2010 banner story of Sunstar that was entitled “Atan: City tried to prevent aid”.  The article was written by Martel.

“Guardo said that early yesterday morning, his political leader, former Calamba barangay councilor Cora Lim, called and informed him that barangay tanods warned her against continuing with the distribution at 10 a.m.,” the article read.

Osmeña said that the tanods, according to Guardo, told Lim they were sent to warn her that those who accept the goods will endanger the jobs of their relatives who work for the barangay.

The tanods, Guardo claimed, were instructed by Calamba barangay captain Victor Quijano “under orders from City Hall”.

In the same news article Martel quoted the statement of Guardo in a telephone interview saying that “Cora Lim called me up telling me that tanods visited her early in the morning and asked her to cancel the distribution, and that anybody who has relatives working in the barangay would cause their services to be terminated. She was asking me to cancel.  But all the packs were ready, so I insisted that the distribution continue.

“Wala hinooy tanod didto sa distribution, pero pareha ra sa nang-harass sila ba.  It was another form of harassment.  I even told the gathering nga pareho ni sa mga Ampatuan ba, hadlok-hadlokon ta (this is what the Ampatuans allegedly do, frighten people).”

The following day, January 11, 2010, in a related news article entitled “Tomas ponders libel suit vs. Atan”, Martel quoted Guardo as saying: “What worries me is the pattern of harassment City Hall has deployed against the opposition.  They removed my boards, prevented me from entering barangay gyms, deprived opposition barangays of gasoline allowances, stopped Cogon Pardo’s medical mission, and now this Calamba incident.”

“The afore-cited news articles as well as the statements of Guardo published in Sunstar Cebu Newspaper are false and without factual basis, therefore, publicly and maliciously imputing to the Cebu City Government the crimes of the latter dishonor, discredit or contempt,” Osmeña said.

Last Wednesday, the Cebu City Council passed and approved Resolution No. 10-1769 granting authority to the undersigned, being the Chief Executive of Cebu City, to file a criminal complaint against the persons responsible for violation of Article 353, 355 and 358 of the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines. — Jasmin U. Labaco/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)