Thursday, February 21, 2008 Dismissal of Leo's motion a 'logical end' to libel rap
CAPITOL consultant on information lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda yesterday said he was pleased with the dismissal of the motion for reconsideration filed by Leo Lastimosa on the libel case he is facing.
Sepulveda, however, said that while the case may ruin the relationship of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, who filed the case, and the local media, the Capitol will always stand for what is right.
In a three-page resolution dated Feb. 15, Cebu City Prosecutor Nicolas Sellon denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Lastimosa for lack of merit.
“Interestingly, (Lastimosa) did not offer any serious refutation in his motion for reconsideration to the said common findings of both panel of prosecutors and the reviewing officers,” the resolution stated.
Column
Garcia sued Lastimosa over the latter’s column titled “Si Doleng Kawatan” published in The Freeman last June 29, 2007.
Lastimosa, in his motion, vehemently denied that the nickname “Doling” referred to Gwendolyn.
But Sellon argued that the nickname “Doleng” “is obviously not an impossible nickname for the real name Gwendolyn.”
“Everybody knows that (Garcia) is not a male. In the second place, the fact that “Doleng” is supposedly a former elected elected barangay captain while (Garcia) is not too inconsequential and cannot distract from the fact that both positions have one thing in common, that is, that they are both government elective positions,” said Sellon in his ruling.
Asked for comment, Lastimosa told Sun.Star Cebu in a text message that they will file their motion with the Department of Justice.
Right
Sepulveda said they respect Lastimosa’s move, adding that it is also the latter’s right to seek further legal remedy.
Sepulveda also admitted that after the case was filed in court, he hoped that the charge “will be going to its logical end.”
“As what we’ve said, when we filed the case it‘s not because we are more powerful than him (Lastimosa) but it’s because we believe that the law is the most powerful,” Sepulveda told reporters in Cebuano.
Reminder
He said they never contested whether what Lastimosa did was wrong or not, but just filed the case.
Sepulveda reminded Lastimosa that “if he only conducted himself in the manner he conducts himself now, there wouldn’t have been a case at all.”
He said he had been listening to Lastimosa’s radio program and read his column and observed that “lately he’s doing responsible journalism.”
“He’s (Lastimosa) not calling anybody’s name. He’s not resorting to allegory,” said Sepulveda, who maintains that the phrase “Doling Kawatan” was an allegory. (GMD)
