Mediaman in libel raps awaits copy of complaint

A JOURNALIST who was sued for libel by House Speaker Prospero Nograles said he has yet to receive a copy of the complaint.

"May preliminary investigation pa naman 'yan, so antayin ko na lang," Roger Balanza of Durian Post said.

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He said he will get the services of a lawyer should the Regional State Prosecutor’s Office (RSPO) recommends the filing of case before the Regional Trial Court.

Balanza and Edgar Velez of the Durian Post, a weekly newspaper, were earlier charged with libel for allegedly maligning Nograles’s reputation.

Chief city prosecutor Raul B. Bendigo earlier inhibited from the case and endorsed it to the RSPO because Nograles is Bendigo's brother-in-law.

Balanza and Velez were charged based on the accounts of Nograles that on the February 15-21 and February 22-28 issues of the Durian Post, Balanza destroyed his reputation.

He said the respondent identified him as a candidate for mayor who engages in vote-buying to win in the upcoming election.

He added there were other articles in the issues of Durian Post written mostly by Balanza that discredit, defame, dishonor, and destroy his reputation.

Nograles further claimed that contrary to established practices of journalism, there was no effort on the part of respondents to get his side on all stories.

Balanza, meanwhile, said he will face the charges. He earlier said that he was just doing his job to give information on political issues to the public to guide them in making the right choice this coming May poll.

Balanza said it was just straight reporting and done without malice.