Prosecutor summons SC justice, journalist on defamation suit

Supreme Court (SC) associate justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. and former Newsbreak editor-in-chief Marites Vitug were invited to appear before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila over the P1-million defamation suit the magistrate filed against the veteran journalist. In an email, Vitug said she and Velasco were "asked to appear before Assistant City Prosecutor Jose Nelson Todas on June 9." Their appearance will set in motion the prosecutor's preliminary investigation into the defamation suit Velasco filed against Vitug last March. The preliminary probe will determine whether there is probable cause that warrants the filing of a case against the journalist. Velasco claimed he was maligned in Vitug's book, Shadow of Doubt, which brought to light the inner workings of the high court. According to a Newsbreak report, Velasco found as malicious the portions where Vitug discussed the opposition to Velasco's nomination to non-magistrate positions in the Supreme Court in 2001, 2002, 2003, and 2006. In his complaint, Velasco said Vitug should not have accepted "hook, line, and sinker" the information relayed to her. The defamation suit is the second complaint that Velasco lodged against Vitug; the first being a P1-million libel complaint stemming from Vitug's article posted on abscbnnews.com/newsbreak for 13 consecutive days last year. The article said that Velasco tried to wield his influence over several local officials in Marinduque province to support the congressional bid of his son, Lord Allan. The younger Velasco is the incumbent Marinduque representative. Answering Velasco’s libel raps, Vitug said her journalistic and civic duties and sense of responsibility, not ill will or spite, motivated her to write the article. The libel complaint is still pending before the Manila City Prosecutor's Office. - VVP, GMA News