A libel of a propaganda

I chanced upon an election propaganda distributed in barangays Kamagayan and Luz during the last election. Upon a careful re-reading of that statement, one will conclude its falsehood. Barangay Kamagayan is far from Barangay Luz. These two barangays are not contiguous. Because these two places are far apart, and each had its own set of candidates, we can immediately discern the act was an impossibility. How could the same election material be distributed in two barangays?

When I walked from my Law office to the University of the Visayas the other day, I saw pasted on some walls the propaganda. It was printed in red and white. It was not the kind of advertisement we see whenever we hold elections. Whoever conceptualized it was so masterful I got curious about the text.

The propaganda transgressed our sense of good taste, to say the least. I have witnessed many political exercises in the past, even involved myself in some of them, but this was the first time I came across a propaganda material that was libelous. It imputed to a candidate for barangay captain a criminal act. I could not comprehend what greed drove a person to resort to libel and malign another just to get votes. This indecent advertisement was generated by an evil mind. For all intents and purposes, it was a declaration that the candidate stole government money. The condemnation was couched in an interrogatory manner but the design was clear. The author anticipated a criminal suit for libel but thought that by writing the advertisement in that manner he had a defense. Sadly, when all evidence is tied together, the perceived evasive action is useless. Most of the persons who work in our small business reside in Luz. I am glad our personnel, upon our encouragement, are active participants in the election. They take a political stand, and actively campaign for their candidates without our influence. In the last election, some of them showed me a propaganda I found unique. After reading it, I realized it was libelous. It maligned the honor and name of the barangay captain, accusing him of pocketing public funds. Believing it was trash, I asked my employee to put it away.

After coming home from school the other day, I asked our employee where that propaganda was. When I scrutinized its form and substance I concluded the two election propaganda were the same. They were obviously printed from a common equipment. The text differed only in the names of barangay captains. The words used in accusing them of stealing public money were identical. Prodded by curiosity, I called on other barangay captains I knew and asked if they too were targets of similar advertisement. In a rush, they sent me copies of the subject election propaganda and I was all the more convinced they all came from one author.

It looked to me that a demigod of a political leader was behind their publication. I believe that in the interest of justice all of those dishonored by the libelous material should band together and raise their cause to court.