ZAMBOANGA CITY (MindaNews / 28 April) – House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe (Zamboanga City second district) filed here Monday a cyber libel case against The Manila Times in connection with the publication of an alleged leaked document detailing a “political strategy” of the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas in the last stretch of the campaign period for the May 12 midterm national and local elections.
The alleged campaign strategy included efforts for the disqualification of candidates supported by Vice President Sara Duterte, whose impeachment trial before the Senate has yet to start.
Named respondents in the complaint are Dante Francis M. Ang II, Michael Alexander M. Ang, Anna Marie A. Thompson, Dante A. Ang, Ma. Preciosa Monica Dv. Ang, Joanna Paola Dv. Ang, Michele Denise D. Saludo, Joseph Noel M. Estrada, Arnold Belleza, Leena Calso Chua, Lynette O. Luna, Tessa Mauricio-Arriola, Conrad M. Cariño, Emil Noguera, Frederick Nasiad, Dafort Villaseran, Rene H. Dilan, Red Mendoza, Kaiser Jan Fuentes, and Catherine S. Valente.
The Manila Times published the report entitled “Leaked paper lays out poll attack plan,” which it labeled “exclusive,” on April 23, written by Mendoza, Fuentes and Valente.
Dalipe, also the executive vice president of Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD), said he filed the libel case not only “to protect my reputation, but also to put a stop to irresponsible accusations,” referring to the article’s contents.
He filed a complaint for alleged violation of Cyber Libel under Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act 10175 in relation to Articles 353 and 355 of the Revised Penal Code.
In its prefatory statement, Dalipe, who is running for mayor here, cited that “public office is a public trust, and those privileged to hold office in service of the people are expected to hold themselves in the highest esteem and in the higher standard of accountability. [Soriano vs. People, G.R. No. 232282, April 26, 2022.]”
“I took and continue to take these exhortations to heart,” he said.
Dalipe said that the respondents published a “defamatory article” against him not only on the website of The Manila Times but also on its Facebook page.
The article said that Dalipe signed the alleged leaked document entitled “Mid-Election Final Campaign Sprint Action Plan” by the administration-backed Alyansa Para sa Bagong Pilipinas.
“A leaked document outlines the campaign strategies of the administration-backed Alyansa para sa Bagong Pilipinas going into the final three weeks before the May 12 elections, including a push to impeach Vice President Sara Duterte and to have candidates she supports disqualified,” the lead of the article stated.
It continues: “The document, titled “Mid-Election Campaign Sprint Action Plan,” was signed by House Majority Leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, who is also the executive vice president of the Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) and highlights the key objectives of “Oplan Horus.”
Dalipe contended that the article “malignly alleged” that he “supposedly engineered a plan to impeach the Vice President, including the use of government resources and political maneuvering to bribe senators into securing votes for her removal; orchestrated efforts to disqualify candidates supported by the Vice President and other allies through the filing of supposed trumped-up criminal charges; and participated in the preparation and allocation of large sums of cash for use in propaganda and disinformation campaigns.”
He said that the claims mentioned in the article were “entirely fabricated and baseless.” (Frencie L. Carreon / MindaNews)
