THE Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP)-Cebu City Chapter has filed a cyber libel complaint against a private individual over a viral Facebook post allegedly tainting the reputation of the lawyer’s organization.
On Oct. 16, 2023, former IBP-Cebu City presidents, lawyers Regal Oliva and Michelle Mendez-Palmares, represented IBP and filed a cyber libel complaint against Giselle Gantuangco Alberca. The filing of the complaint was in response to a Facebook post in which Alberca accused the event organizers of an IBP event from the previous year of not paying their sound and lights rental fees even after a year had passed.
Oliva and Mendez-Palmares filed the formal complaint before the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office.
Giselle or “Gi Gan Selle” is the wife of Isidro Alberca, proprietor of the Alberca Sound and Lights Rental, whichi is based in Carcar City.
Oliva told reporters on Monday that the payment issue had already been settled as Alberca posted on Facebook an apology statement towards the IBP Cebu City Chapter; however, the post was recently “deleted” without “justifiable reason,” prompting them to continue with the formal complaint.
However, Giselle, through his husband Isidro, told SunStar Cebu that they were shocked by the filing of the complaint, and with regards to the taking down of the apology, Isidro said it was done upon the request of the owner of the MDF Production, the event organizer, and with Oliva’s permission.
Viral post
Giselle, under the name “Gi Gan Selle” on her Facebook account, posted on Saturday, Oct. 14, stating that the organizers of the “Festivals of Festivals,” an IBP-Cebu City Chapter socio-cultural event in October 2022, had not settled their sound, lights, and LED service rental fees for the event even after a year. This post has since been deleted.
Oliva refuted the claim and told the reporters on Monday that all financial obligations related to the Joint Regional Convention of the IBP for the Eastern and Western Visayas Regions held last Oct. 13-14, 2022, in a hotel in Cebu City was settled.
These included the rentals of the sound and lights for their social night with a theme of “Festivals of Festivals.”
The Alberca Sounds and Lights Rental was the provider of the audio-video and light equipment during the event.
Oliva said the particular Facebook post damaged the character, integrity, and reputation of the IBP-Cebu City Chapter.
Oliva clarified that the IBP-Cebu City Chapter had contracted MDF Production as the overall coordinator of the event, which meant that all suppliers were coursed through them and IBP-Cebu City Chapter, as the main host for the event, paid them in full at one time.
She added that they had paid an amount of P400,000 to the MDF Production for that particular service a day before the event date.
P5 million reparation
She said non-payment of a lawyer’s financial obligation is attuned to a criminal complaint or an estafa case against an officer of the law.
Oliva said the IBP demands P5 million in reparation for the damage and another P500,000 in attorney’s fees.
Request
In a separate interview on Monday, Isidro said Margarita Frasco, owner of MDF production, requested them to remove the viral post and the apology statement to resolve the issue.
He and his wife expressed their apology to the officials and members of the IBP-Cebu City Chapter for their viral post and clarified that his wife’s post was meant for the overall coordinator of the event and not for the IBP-Cebu City.
Isidro said before the post of his wife went viral, the MDF production had not yet settled their accounts with them. Isidro added that only after the post went viral that Frasco had contacted them again and settled her financial obligation with them last Sunday, Oct. 15, through a representative.
However, they received only a partial payment, which he declined to reveal.
He said, at present, his wife has not completely removed the public apology on her Facebook account. Instead, she changed the privacy settings to “Only Me” after getting Oliva’s approval.
The Albercas were also involved with other audio-video production issues during the Pasigarbo sa Sugbo in Carcar City last Aug. 27.
