Ben Tulfo’s official response to Integrated Bar of the Philippines
NARITO ang aking opisyal na kasagutan sa naging pahayag ng Integrated Bar of the Philippines National at Iloilo Chapter. Ingles ang pagkokondena sa akin ng IBP, kaya sa wikang Ingles ko rin ito sasagutin:
BITAG MULTIMEDIA NETWORK under BEN TULFO for more than 19 years has faithfully served, and continues to serve, the marginalized sector of our society with bigger and utmost dedication to this advocacy.
BITAG’s role as a fierce advocate of the underprivileged is complementary to the common pursuit of social justice.
Since 2002, BITAG has assisted thousands of individuals providing an avenue for the under-represented sectors of our society to directly communicate with, and demand accountability from, different public and private offices and personalities.
BITAG is a hybrid fast-paced public service program on traditional and digital platform, with a unique concept of calling concerned individuals or public officials for immediate action on the public’s complaints.
The episode uploaded in BITAG Official’s YouTube channel, August 21, 2021 is a manifestation of BITAG’s serious efforts to address the plight of a poor fish vendor, who was charged with and arrested for 6 cases of grave threat, after his 16-year daughter complained before the Women’s Desk of being molested by her employer.
In pursuing an effective redress for this unfortunate situation, I clashed opinions with the lawyer of the employer’s family, which earned strong criticism from the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IB P).
In the same segment, and as in previous BITAG episodes, I, Ben Tulfo as a journalist has categorically stated that I am not a lawyer. I consulted with and sought the learned advice of our legal experts as well as others on the issue on hand.
As an investigative journalist, it is my duty to communicate these information to the public in a language understood by the common citizen rather than through confusing legalese.
The resulting statements, while different from the opinion of majority of the members of the IBP, were delivered in a good faith attempt to protect the rights of the poor fish vendor who was made to endure two (2) nights of unwarranted incarceration.
BITAG takes exception to the IBP’s statement that I and my program BITAG- Pambansang Sumbungan have besieged the legal profession, and assumed to secure speedy justice at the expense of fundamental rights to privacy and due process.
I have the highest regard for the Constitution and the laws of our country. Contrary to these unfair aspersions, BITAG merely aired questions and raised concerns in the mind of every common man faced with threats of imprisonment over unverified text messages.
In so doing, BITAG has exposed the challenges facing our judicial system and the litigants, rendered more difficult by the current pandemic.
The BITAG episode uploaded on August 21, 2021 is a reminder that procedural rules and legal technicalities should never be used to advance grave aggression and oppression against hapless citizens, like the poor fish vendor, a father who was simply trying to protect his minor daughter from what is referred to as lascivious conduct of her employer.
BITAG believes that the burden of maintaining the public’s faith in the Philippine judicial system lies in every lawyer who, when faced with the option to work towards an amicable settlement, or to aggravate the situation between two opposing parties, chooses the latter.
BITAG assures the public that it will continue and even strengthen its efforts to fiercely advocate for our underprivileged brothers and sisters, and help protect and enforce their rights.
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