Libel case against actress filed in court

CEBU, Philippines - An actress and six others were charged for libel before the Regional Trial Court because of a “defamatory” article published in the internet through the Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) Inc.

Amalia Stevens, more popularly known as “Amalia Fuentes,” allegedly dishonored Angelica Aznar Sierra by issuing statements last year that tagged Angelica as the other woman of her husband Joey Stevens.

Sierra, in her complaint filed before the prosecutor’s office, said that the various statements in the articles affected her children and put her integrity in question.

Sierra in her complaint also included the alleged writer of the article, Mark Angelo Ching. The rest of the respondents are Lisa Gokongwei-Cheng, president of PEP Inc., Jo-Ann Maglipon, editor-in-chief, Karen Pagsolingan, managing editor, associate editors Erwin Santiago and Rommel Llanes, Flor Caagusan, copy editor, Jocelyn Dimaculangan, senior editor and community editor Elyas Isabelo Salanga.

Amalia said she did not post the material in the internet, and did not ask someone to write it. In fact, she said, she was not aware of such publication because she does not know how to access the internet. PEP published the article “based on hearsay and without her consent.”

The author, meanwhile, denied any participation in the article. All the rest of the respondents also denied malice in the publication of the article.

Alexander Acosta of the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office, after studying the complaint, ruled against Amalia and all the respondents.

Acosta, in a resolution approved by Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon, said that there is no doubt about the existence of the article in question, and that it could be read by anyone who accesses the internet.

He also said that it is “crystal clear” that Sierra was the one described in the article. Acosta was “convinced” that the words used in the article “tend or really impute disgrace, shame, despise, or loss of credit or reputation to the complainant.”

The lack of malice being claimed by the respondents is best proven in open court, the resolution read. He also pointed out that Amalia “never denied” that she was the source or the one interviewed for the article.   (FREEMAN NEWS)