Cebu court orders arrest of female journalist

CEBU — The Cebu Regional Trial Court has ordered the arrest of a writer of the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism (PCIJ) in connection with a libel case filed against her by Winston Garcia, president and general manager of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Garcia sued the writer, Sheila Samonte Pesayco, for her article "GSIS Insurance Monopoly: A Never-ending Scam" which was published in Cebu dailies last year.

Regional Trial Court Judge Ramon Codilla Jr. issued the order last Feb. 20 but a check with the PCIJ showed Pesayco has not yet received it.

Codilla has set a bail of P4,000 which Pesayco can post in any RTC in the country to avoid being arrested.

Garcia said Pesayco’s article was replete with false and malicious imputations and actuations, and "calculated to cause dishonor, discredit and contempt" upon his person and "to impeach (my) honesty, virtue and reputation."

Garcia said the term "dealmaker" in Pesayco’s article is defamatory and calculated to lead the reading public into believing he had been involved in illegal transactions in government.

He said Pesayco never bothered to verify the truth of her accusations.

Pesayco, for her part, said the article was written in good faith in pursuit of a journalist’s obligation to inform the public about matters of public concern.

She insisted she interviewed Garcia on Oct. 16 for him to air his side and to guarantee fairness in her report.

The subject of the article, she said, is one of "legitimate public interest and concern and speaks of how a government agency like the GSIS allowed itself through the present reinsurance scheme, to benefit certain insurance brokers and companies."

She stood by her allegation that Garcia had previously been charged with graft and that the term "dealmaker" was a direct quote from a source.

Pesayco claimed the article is protected by constitutional guarantees on free speech and is essentially a commentary on a matter of public interest and concern.

PCIJ executive director Sheila Coronel said Pesayco has nothing to fear in the court and that it is Garcia who is afraid.

She said the PCIJ is planning to elevate the matter to the Department of Justice.

"Clearly this is a harassment. Why was the case filed in Cebu rather than in Manila? It is obvious that Mr. Garcia’s intention is to intimidate the PCIJ and the rest of the media and prevent them from uncovering anomalies at the GSIS," she said.

Coronel said what the PCIJ discovered is "just the tip of the iceberg." "That is why Mr. Garcia wants to shut us up," she added. — Freeman News Service