Robredo spox Barry Gutierrez files cyberlibel complaint vs. news site

Barry Gutierrez, the spokesperson of Vice President Leni Robredo, filed Friday a cyberlibel complaint against the writer, editors, owner, and publisher of an online news site over an article containing false information against him and Robredo.

Published by the Journal News Online in April, the article stated that Communist Party of the Philippines Joma Sison claimed that he was acting as adviser to the presidential candidate and her spokesperson.

Both the camp of Robredo and Sison denied the allegation.

In an 18-page complaint affidavit, Gutierrez said the article “is without due regard for truth, propriety, and fairness.”

“The foregoing are acts that I categorically and strongly deny for these are brazen falsehoods and are nothing but outright lies and malicious prevarications,” he said.

He said the news site also did not take the time and effort to verify the claims.

Further, Gutierrez said that the last two paragraphs in the article clarifying that Sison denied the allegations show that there is bad faith and malicious intent.

“The fact that the respondents proceeded to publish the news article and used the headline ‘Joma admits advising Leni’ even after learning that the CPP and Sison denied publishing any news item in Ang Bayan, which was allegedly the basis of the news article, is already concrete proof of the bad faith and malicious intent on the part of the respondents,” he said.

For the spokesperson, the allegations aim to “denigrate” Robredo’s “effective election campaign” and destroy his honor and credibility in the process.

At present, the article has garnered over 44,000 views and 100 shares.

Respondents include article writer Lee Ann Ducusin, editor in chief Augusto Villanueva, associate editor Dennis Fetalino, managing editors Manuel Ces and Teresa Lardizabal, editorial consultant Reginald Velasco , news site owner PJI Web News Publishing, and publishing corporation Philippine Journalists Inc.

GMA News Online has reached out to Journal News Online but has yet to receive a response as of posting time.—AOL, GMA News