Mon Tulfo faces third libel complaint from Medialdea

MANILA, Philippines — Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea on Tuesday slapped columnist Ramon Tulfo with another libel complaint. 

News5 reported that Medialdea went to the Office of the City Prosecutor in Manila to file the complaint, his third libel rap against Tulfo who is also the country’s special envoy for public diplomacy.

Dalawa pang counts ng libel ang isinampa ng kampo ni Executive Sec. Salvador Medialdea kaugnay ng mga artikulong isinulat ni Ramon Tulfo noong July 25 at August 1. Humingi rin si Medialdea ng P140-M para sa moral at exemplary damages. | via @romeltv5 pic.twitter.com/4qZ8ovhgAQ

— News5 AKSYON (@News5AKSYON) August 13, 2019

The complaint assails Tulfo’s columns which appeared on The Manila Times on July 25 and August 1.

Tulfo, in the said columns, shared the account of a certain Felicito Mejorado who claimed he has yet to receive reward money from the government for providing a tip on a smuggling operation in Bataan.

“In an apparent attempt to discredit my honor, integrity and reputation, [Tulfo] maliciously implied that I am remiss in the performance of my duties, and worse, even categorically alleged that I demanded the amount of P72 million, implying that I am a corrupt public official,” the complaint read.

“Clearly, contrary to what respondent Tulfo maliciously wants to impress upon the public, I take my duties as the Executive Secretary of the Republic of the Philippines very seriously and ensure that I am not remiss in the performance of my duties,” Medialdea added.

The complaint also named The Manila Times’ executives and editorial heads as respondents in the complaint.

The executive secretary asked P1.4 million pesos from the respondents for moral damages, exemplary damages and attorney’s fees.

The executive secretary previosuly filed libel and cyberlibel complaints against Tulfo on August 6 and in June.

READ: Medialdea files another libel rap vs envoy, columnist Ramon Tulfo

Journalists' groups and freedom of expression advocates have long been calling for the decriminalization of libel, saying it is outdated and restricts free speech.