RP's libel law 'excessive, unreasonable,' says IFJ

The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) on Thursday renewed its call for the Philippine government to decriminalize libel after a journalist was jailed for defamation in a lawsuit filed by a former congressman. Jofelle Tesorio, former correspondent of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and editor of Bandillo ng Palawan, is currently being held in Camp Karingal in Quezon City even after she posted a P20,000 peso bail bond Thursday morning. As of this writing, the judge has yet to sign Tesorio's release paper. Tesorio who now works for the Bangkok-based Asia News Network is facing a libel suit after writing a series of articles dating back to 2003 relating to former Palawan congressman Vicente Sandoval Sr. The libel case was filed by Sandoval over Tesorio's article on the Camago-Malampaya Natural Gas Project in Palawan which came out in the Jan. 20-26, 2003 issue of Bandillo ng Palawan. "The libel laws in the Philippines are outdated, excessive and unreasonable, and they are too often abused by those with power to silence journalists," said IFJ Asia-Pacific Director Jacqueline Park. "No journalist should be jailed for doing their jobs, and the IFJ again calls for an overhaul of libel laws in the Philippines to remove defamation from the criminal code," Park said. In April this year, radio journalist Alex "Lex" Adonis was jailed for four years after he was convicted for libel. Another radio reporter, Jun Alegre, was also jailed for libel early this year. Tesorio was brought to a women's detention facility in Camp Karingal in Quezon City shortly after posting bail about 9 a.m. at the Quezon City Hall of Justice. "We reiterate (our) position that libel, a criminal offense under the Penal Code, should be decriminalized. Journalists should not be thrown behind bars for doing their jobs," NUJP said in a statement. "As shown in the countless libel cases filed by politicians against journalists, the libel law has also become a tool to harass media into silence," the NUJP statement added. - GMANews.TV