Sunday, January 11, 2009

Mayor Nasser Pangandaman Jr. files libel suit vs. Bambee Dela Paz

The first question on my mind right now is whether this amounts to harassment or does it make for a test case for Philippine bloggers as far as libel suits are concerned. Can bloggers get sued over what they put in their blogs?
Also, I remember that those sued for libel (reporters, columnists, publishers, etcetera) some times get hauled off into jail. Does Bambee go to jail in Lanao Del Norte where the libel suit was filed?
I've heard of this tact before. A few years back, another Mindanaoan (Mindana-won) politician filed a libel suit against a Filipino journalist over a story. It was quite effective in shutting the journalist up.
I hate to say this, but the threat implied by Mayor Nasser Jr. is that Bambee will have to face his people in Lanao del Norte. Of course, the younger Pangandaman can say that he can't stop his people from harming Bambee just as his father, Secretary Pangandaman, said that he could not stop his own son from beating up an old man and a 14 year old.
If Mayor Nasser Jr. thinks this libel suit against Bambee Dela Paz can in anyway help their public image, they are dead wrong.

2 comments:

Political Jaywalker said...

Our libel law sucks and it is just one of the trapos instrument to harass and intimidate legitimate grievances. I am afraid that their reputation and character are sullied..... no I meant the gorillas when they are unfairly characterized as the Pangandamans, lol.

English To Tagalog The Blog said...

i think this isn't the first time here in the philippines that someone was charged with libel over something they wrote in their blog.

and, if memory serves me right, i think there is a pending measure against the practice of filing cases in courts located in places that are too far away form where the respondent is based.

obviously, this will be a big hassle for bambee as she now faces the prospect of having to go all the way to mindanao for a court case. for the rich and powerful, this tactic falls under the category of "pursuing all legal remedies available."

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...