DAVAO CITY (Zamboanga Journal / 04 May) Journalists in the southern Philippine city of Davao hailed Thursday the acquittal of two newsmen who were accused of libel by a school principal.
Judge Jaime Quitain, of the Regional Trial Court Branch 10, cleared Vic Sumalinog, former managing editor of Mindanao Daily Mirror, and news writer Al Josol, for lack of evidence.
Florita Masing, then principal of Davao City Special School in Bangkal district here, charged the duo in connection with a story about her 90-day suspension published on the newspaper in 1998.
The Ombudsman in Mindanao ordered Masing's suspension. The judge said Sumalinog and Josol were only doing their job as journalists when they published the story about Masing's suspension.
Masing insisted the article published on January 12, 1998 was designed to malign her reputation being the principal of special school at that time.
Quitain ruled that the article by Josol was of public interest since the Masing was a government official, according to the official Philippine News Agency.
"The judge noted that the article was based on the resolution handed down by the Office of the Ombudsman and did not contain any criticism against Masing," it said.
Journalists lauded the decision of the court and said press freedom is still alive in Davao City.
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