Publisher asks court to reverse ruling on libel case

Newspaper publisher Ninez Cacho-Olivares, who was found guilty of the crime of libel two weeks ago, asked the Makati City Regional Trial Court yesterday to reconsider its ruling.

In a 60-page motion for reconsideration, Olivarez said Judge Winlove Dumayas erred in finding her guilty.

“It’s just that the court decision was not impartial. I’m not the type who would just accept it. I should not have been convicted at all. I’ll fight it out,” Olivares, who is also the editor-in-chief of The Daily Tribune, said.

The Villaraza Cruz Marcelo and Angangco Law Office (CVC Law), in a statement, welcomed the motion, saying that they will “continue to be fair to her even if she was never fair to us.”

“While she admonished her counsel for reposing faith in our system of justice and reiterated her unabashed disdain against our courts, she nevertheless expressed her desire to fight it out all the way to the Supreme Court,” the statement read. 

CVC Law spokesman Miguel Silos said they are “confident the ruling will stay. We’re confident that our case is very strong, that the decision was based on evidence and sound reasoning.”

He said Olivares “presented nothing new” in her motion for reconsideration. – Michael Punongbayan, Delon Porcalla