(Eagle News) — Former Justice Secretary Vitaliano Aguirre on Thursday, June 28, sued columnist Ramon Tulfo, and Inquirer editors and officials for libel and cyber-libel.
Charged with 12 counts of cyber libel and 10 counts of libel were Tulfo, Inquirer publishers Marixi Prieto, Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez and Renato Reinoso, Inquirer executive editor Jose Ma. Nolasco, online associate editor Abelardo Ulanday, opinion editor Rosario Garcellano, Bandera publisher Eileen Mangubat, editor-in-chief Dona Policar, deputy editor Jimmy Alcantara, and others who have yet to be identified.
The charges stem from what Aguirre said were 12 defamatory columns written by Tulfo and published in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, its tabloid Bandera and online platform Inquirer.net between Aug. 26 2017 to April 3, 2018, when he was justice secretary.
The topics of the stories range from Kian Loyd delos Santos’ killing, where Aguirre was described as “callous”; the extortion case against two Immigration deputy commissioners, with whom he was alleged to be complicit; among others.
“The articles …complained of are also utterly false and were written in reckless disregard of the truth despite an overwhelming evidence establishing facts which are contrary to the vile, malicious, defamatory and insidious accusations against me,” Aguirre said.
The former justice secretary sought for P1 in damages, which he said “represent(s) a symbolic amount in principle to end the proliferation of fake news and its appurtenant lies and calumny against anyone in this country.”
Aguirre resigned as justice secretary following outcry over a Department of Justice panel’s dismissal of drug charges against self-confessed drug lord Kerwin Espinosa and several others.
Before he resigned, however, Aguirre issued an order creating another panel and vacating the first panel’s decision.