Mayor Estrañero charges Guru Press editors with cyber libel again

Tabuk City, Kalinga – Embattled Tabuk City Mayor Darwin Estrañero has filed a new complaint against Guru Press editors, Brent Martinez and Ghumie Pinkihan, on cyber libel, accusing the local media outfit of destroying his reputation by reporting baseless news which are all false statements.

The complaint was filed on September 29, 2020, but the subpoena for the respondents were delivered by the police on November 24, 2020. The subpoena was from the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor of Cabagan Isabela.

In July 2020, Estrañero first filed cyber libel charges at the National Bureau of Investigation against six individuals which included the two Guru Press editors.

In an interview with the editors, they said the move is but a common way of harassing accused individuals and a strategy which is overused.

“Something is not right here... He (Estranero) could have simply filed the complaint here in Kalinga. Apay saan na nabasa nga jurisdictional ti kakastoy nga kaso? One more thing, maikadwa daytoyen. He is obviously guilty of forum shopping and can be charged of perjury having lied in his affidavit of non-forum shopping. He already filed this cyber libel complaint against me and Ms. Pinkihan at the NBI,” explained Martinez.

Martinez likewise advised that the Mayor had better utilize his City Information Office to show all documents and prove the truth behind the lies allegedly reported by Guru Press since the office is under his command, has all resources, manpower, funding and equipment to do so.

“Adda kaniada amin nga documentos… if we are lying… apay saan da ipublish idiay portal da dagidiay documents. Fight lies with the truth... Documents alone are enough since diay met iti basean mi nga agsurat,” added Martinez.

Pinkihan, on the other hand, said it is the right of the people to know the truth. She mentioned that while the Mayor has the right to file a cyber libel complaint, Estrañero could have effortlessly showed the true story to refute the alleged untrue story of Guru Press and right there and then finish the reputation of the local media outfit.

Estrañero’s affidavit

In his affidavit Estrañero stated he “suffered and continue to suffer anxiety, besmirched reputation, mental anguish, sleepless nights, not to mention the damage… caused to my career, reputation and honor among the readers and the general public.”

Additionally, he is asking for money as payment for the damage done by the respondents as well as payment to his legal fees.

The libelous articles

The contents of the new charge includes an affidavit of a certain Cezar Cabacungan Jr. residing in Isabela who mentioned that he saw libelous materials about Mayor Darwin Estrañero while browsing through Facebook and took screenshots of them. He said he reported these to the Mayor.

The articles identified by Cabacungan were mysteriously the same as those in the first complaint amongst the many articles written by Guru Press.

In the complaint, the articles alleged to be libelous are the following:

1. Tabuk City: Residents file charge against Mayor Estrañero for overpriced medical supplies (Published on July 2, 2020) – included in the first complaint

2. Tabuk City: Form asking personal details of Job Orders at the City Hall being questioned (Published on July 3, 2020) – included in the first complaint

3. ‘Claim that no available scanners in Tabuk City in March 2020, not true” – Drugstore Owners Association (Published on August 2, 2020)

One article which was in the first complaint was not included in the second. This article is about the complaint of Vice-Mayor Dao-as regarding alleged corruption at the City Hall. The article's title is "Tabuk City: Dao-as charges Estrañero the second time at the Ombudsman, says Estrañero may be suspended pending investigation" which was published in July.

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