Businessman cleared of oral defamation

MANILA, Philippines - A Pasay City judge recently acquitted a businessman accused of grave oral defamation by another trader six years ago.

Judge Glenn Santos of the Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 47 said James Dy failed to prove his allegations that George Go Pen Siong insulted and hurled defamatory words against him.

In his complaint, Dy, of 36 Xavier street, Greenhills, San Juan, said that Siong hurled invectives at him while he was speaking during an event at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC) in Pasay on Oct. 25, 2008.

He claimed that the defamatory remarks were meant to discredit his integrity and good standing with the Chinese-Filipino community.

In his defense, Siong denied making defamatory remarks against Dy, saying he “merely gave out a sigh of disdain” while listening to his speech. He said the complaint was exaggerated.

The complainant presented at least six witnesses to support his accusation against the businessman.

The court, however, dismissed the case since most of Dy’s witnesses happened to be his relatives and employees.

The judge also gave credence to the testimony of Rilando Turoa, PICC events services officer, who claimed that no unusual incident or commotion occurred during the occasion.