Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 29)— The Supreme Court has acquitted broadcaster Raffy Tulfo of libel over a series of articles he wrote on the alleged illegal activities in the Bureau of Customs (BOC).
In a decision dated January 11 but made public only on Tuesday, the high court’s third division said the prosecution “failed to prove that Tulfo acted with malice, or with reckless disregard in determining the truth or falsity of the imputations.”
The case stemmed from articles Tulfo wrote in 1999 for his column in “Abante Tonite” — which focused on the “shady dealings” in the BOC, including the alleged extortion activities against brokers and shippers.
In its ruling, the SC said Tulfo’s columns refer to matters of “public interest which the citizenry ought to know.”
“Unless the prosecution proves that the defamatory statements were made with actual malice, a criminal case for libel against critics of a public officer’s exercise of official functions cannot prosper,” it added.
The high court also acquitted the publisher and editor of Abante Tonite who were previously tagged in the case.
“The need to protect freedom of speech and of the press cannot be understated. These freedoms are the most pervasive and powerful vehicles of informing the government of the opinions, needs, and grievances of the public,” the court noted. “Without these rights, no vigilant press would flourish. And without a vigilant press, the government’s mistakes would go unnoticed, their abuses unexposed, and their wrongdoings uncorrected.”
The SC, however, also reminded media practitioners of the “standards expected of them” as provided under journalists’ code of ethics.
