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By Jefferson Antiporda, Reporter
JOURNALIST Jofelle Tesorio was
released from jail Thursday evening after spending almost 10 hours
inside a detention cell in Camp Karingal following his arrest in
connection with the libel case filed by a former representative of
Palawan.
Tesorio, a former correspondent
of the Philippine Daily Inquirer and now editor of Bandillo ng
Palawan, was hauled to jail about 9 a.m. on Thursday despite posting
a P20,000 bail at a Quezon City court.
Palawan Rep. Vicente Sandoval
Sr. filed a libel case against Tesorio in connection with a series
of articles dating back to 2003 on the Camago-Malampaya Natural
Gas Project in Palawan.
The series was published on the
January 20 to 26, 2003, issue of Bandillo ng Palawan.
The National Union of Journalists
of the Philippines expressed disappointment over the incident and
said Tesorio’s detention proved that the country’s libel law
“is being used by people in power to intimidate journalists and
curtail press freedom.”
In a statement, the NUJP
reiterated its call to decriminalize libel, a criminal offense under
the country’s Penal Code.
“Journalists should not be
thrown behind bars for doing their jobs,” the statement said.
“And as shown in the countless
libel cases filed by politicians against journalists, the libel law
has also become a tool to harass media into silence,” it added.
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