The Bustos Principle

In moments of introspection, which are rare, I ask myself whether being a crusading journalist is worth all the trouble of going through the tedious process of having myself fingerprinted like an ordinary crime suspect and scrounging for money to post bail after being charged with libel in court.

One of those rare moments was on Monday, March 28, when I had to dirty my hands – all five fingers of both hands – and my left and right palms to have them imprinted on pieces of paper for my bail.

I had to hide from the police, as there was a warrant for my arrest. I learned about the libel case on a Friday.

If I were arrested, I would have to sleep in jail for three nights – Friday, Saturday and Sunday – until I could post bail on Monday.

I was told that the police were looking for me to serve me the warrant of arrest.

If that’s not persecution for doing my journalistic duty, I don’t know what is. A journalist exposes the ills in government and the society where he moves in.

The government prosecutor in Taguig charged me and my former editors at The Manila Times with libel for exposing the gross overspending of funds for the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in 2019.

My exposé on the overspending was based on reports that some officials in charge of the sports events needlessly and mercilessly spent government funds for the SEA Games.

In short, corruption was the name of the game (no pun intended) in the disbursement of money for athletes’ uniforms, their billeting, food and other miscellaneous expenses.

Some people got hurt, one of them a buddy-buddy of then Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano, who was in charge of the SEA Games. That person sued for libel.

The government prosecutor who handled the preliminary investigation must be so dumb as not to see the point of my exposé, which was to protect the interest of the government and people’s money.

Or it could be that the public prosecutor was under intense pressure from the powers that be in Taguig, where the libel case was filed. And so, the case was filed in court.

The prosecutor was probably absent in law school when the subject of libel was taken up.

Hasn’t that prosecutor heard about the Bustos Principle as enunciated by the Supreme Court?

The Bustos Principle states, “A public official, especially an elected one, should not be onion-skinned. Strict personal discipline is expected of an occupant of a public office because a public official is a property of the public. He is looked upon to set the example of how public officials should correctly conduct themselves even in the face of extreme provocation. Always he is expected to act and serve with the highest degree of responsibility, integrity, loyalty and efficiency and shall remain accountable for his conduct to the people.”

In 1918, the Supreme Court admonished public officials who were severely criticized: “Let the balm of a clear conscience soothe your pain.”

But then, after deep reflection, I came to the conclusion that the pains I go through in being charged with libel – including facing judges who sometimes don’t know the nature of the case – that yes, it’s worth all the trouble.

A journalist is a watchdog or sentinel of the citizenry; the title of my column in this prestigious newspaper is Sentinel.

Being charged with libel – or worse – is a hazard of the journalism profession.

A crusader, it is said, fights a lonely battle. So, why should I complain when I knew what I was getting myself into?

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The Commission on Elections (Comelec) plans to make it easier for citizens who are not involved in politics but whose lives are under threat to get exemption from the election gun ban.

“We will push for the review and recalibration of the gun ban exemption and security application guidelines to find ways to make the process easier,” said newly appointed Commissioner George Garcia.

Judges, government prosecutors, lawyers of the Public Attorney’s Office, government personnel in sensitive positions and Comelec field personnel are covered by gun ban exemption.

Also allowed to carry guns outside of their residences are businessmen, security guards and individuals with credible threat assessments.

Armed criminals are having a field day because law-abiding citizens have no way of defending themselves.

A good example is the abduction by armed men of a Taiwanese businessman in a restaurant mall in Parañaque under the very noses of mall security guards who could only look on helplessly because they were unarmed.

As a saying goes, when guns are outlawed only outlaws have guns.

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From the grapevine:

Presidential friend Michael Yang has turned over all his businesses to a local Chinese person months before President Rodrigo “Digong” Duterte is set to step down.

Yang apparently anticipates prosecution – more of persecution – from Digong’s detractors when his friend is no longer in power.

The local businessman’s cousin and Yang met in Dubai to talk about the turnover. Of course, the local Chinese individual will just be Yang’s dummy.

Among the controversial Mainland Chinese merchant’s businesses is a very lucrative Philippine Offshore Gaming Operator (POGO).

Yang has been linked to the Pharmally scam, an alleged gross overpricing of COVID-19 medical equipment sold to the government.

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Postscript:

It’s March 29, Tuesday, and I am in Taguig, where the libel cases have been filed. I have just paid my bail bond, but the judge wants me to appear before her.

I’ve been here since 10 a.m. and it’s now 4:45 p.m., 15 minutes before the end of office hours. The judge has yet to sign my release papers.

I didn’t go through all the hassle of posting my bail before. The judges who heard my cases knew libel is a job-related offense.