Manila Journalist jailed for libel

I just heard from the news about a Manila newspaper journalist jailed after having been convicted of libel by a regional trial court judge.
The judge who convicted him is Judge Silvino T. Pampilo Jr.
This is somewhat unusual, for many reasons.
First, He was supposed to be convicted only of a jail term of six months to two years. This is probationable. So why was he sent to jail?
If he appealed, he can be free while his case is on appeal. So why was he immediately sent to jail? The only way he could go to jail is for him to let his conviction become final and executory, by not filing a motion for reconsideration or filing an appeal, or not applying for probation.
But it is really unusual for a journalist to be sent to jail after conviction in the RTC.
Most usually appeal the case.
By the way, the private complainant was PAGCOR Chair Ephraim Genuino, according to ABS-CBN news.
Genuino is touted to be "one of the boys" of the First Gentleman.
The First Gentleman himself is filing a string of libel cases, which are now pending in the Mnaila Regional Trial Court.
In the libel case against the Malaya publisher Jake Macasaet, filed by the First Gentleman, it is also under the sala of Judge Pampilo.
By the way, there are some newsmen who say nobody is ever convicted of libel by the Supreme Court.
That is not accurate.
There are cases involving journalists, broadcasters who are held liable for libel by the Supreme Court.

High number of road mishaps validated

The Philippine Daily Inquirer today published a story confirming the dangers posed by our roads and highways to the lives of pedestrians.
The story Metro streets for deadly for pedestrians just portrays how dangerous and risky Manila roads are.
This echoes my serious concerns about how our streets threaten the lives of many on a daily basis.

Road mishaps

Roads are one of the most dangerous places to be in.
Everytime I am on the road, specially the freeways, I always pray to God for protection because, frankly speaking, anything can just happen.
What worries me are the frequency of road mishaps that happen, i.e. car collissions, pedestrians run over by vehicles, road rage.
When I am on the road and bringing a camera, many times I get to encounter other vehicles that figure in road accidents.
I was even able to take pictures of these road collissions.
Let me post some of those photos of road accidents which I have taken, because I happened to be in the area myself at those times.
First, while on our way to Bataan we met a bumping incident involving an Isuzu cargo truck and an owner-type jeep.
For a while, we couldn't figure out how the incident could have happened, but it seemed the jeep was trying to cross an intersection, but was bumped by the truck running on the intersecting direction.
I was also driving from the southern town of Siaton in Negros Oriental not long ago, on my way to Dumaguete City.
We encountered a Ceres passenger bus lying sideways on the road shoulder.
When we arrived, the injured passengers had just been taken into another Ceres bus and brought to a hospital in Dumaguete City.
According to the witnesses, the ill-fated Ceres bus was racing with another vehicle, and when they met another vehicle coming from the opposite direction, it was too late, so the Ceres bus had to swerve towards the left shoulder of the road.
What a dangerous maneuver.
Then, another road incident we were able to capture was amusing. It involved a hearse (porlon) along a major road in Manila.
Coffin-carrying vehicles usually do not figure in road accidents because they always travel at very slow speed for obvious reasons.
But this hearse was different, most probably as it wasn't "on-duty". But on the few times that it was speeding "conffin-less", it met a road accident.
Also, while I was in Houston, years ago, I was also able to take photo shots of a vehicle that had just turned-turtle on the road.

Just recently, I was riding a taxi late at night in Cebu City. We stalled when we saw many people on the road.

We learned that a motorcycle had just met a collision with another vehicle.

It happened just minutes before we arrived. I got out of the taxi and took pictures of the motorcycle driver who was bloodied and still lying on the road unconscious, while his wife, was screaming for help.

Fortunately, the motorcycle driver became conscious a little later, and was brought to the hospital.
Because of these road accidents, I always remind myself not to be complacent while on the road, and try to be always on alert.
What worries me is that many of the drivers don't drive defensively, specially here in Metro Manila.
One needs to learn the "driving culture" here in Manila because of the "suicidal" behavior of many drivers, particuarly those driving jeepneys and the public utility buses.

Missing radio

I sometimes feel I miss my radio days.

I was exposed to broadcasting at a young age.

I remember I started out as a cleaner of 45 rpm's and long playing records,before they are played by disc jockeys / spinners on board.

I then learned to become a spinner, a disc jockey and a newscaster.

That was back in the 1980's in Dumaguete City.

My father opened the first FM station in 1979, DYEM-FM at 96.7.

Up to this day, it has continued to serve as a bridge of its listeners in Dumaguete city on current affairs and music.

Lately I came accross some of the old pictures during those radio days.

I thought I have to preserve it, lest it would be lost forever. (Blogs are used to store files, photos too).

My radio days were some of the fun and ejoyable times of my boyhood and adolescent life.

If you would notice the pictures, it was during the time of the turn-tables and tape decks, and cassettes.

The LPs (long playing records) and 45's were called "plaka".

Then it became CDs. Now I think its the age of MP3's and MP4's.

Radio stations these days are all computerized and computer generated.

After the turntables came the compact discs. But today, the music pieces are stored in the computer.

How technology has leaped.

I only knew how to operate the turn-table and tape decks.

Now when I get inside a radio booth, I know I won't even know what buttons to press.

I can still remember the Dumaguete radio guys during those days.

They were Henry Villalba, with his magic voice, the first official voice of the radio station, Bong Tano, Agnes Apalisok, Jose Mari Umbac, Boy Panahon, Jojo Sedigo, Eddie Lantaca, Mitchell Duran, Mario Opena, Ken, Cathy Tale, and many others.

Sometimes, even as I am concentating on the legal field, I still long for an opportunity to be back in active broadcast.

If that opportunity comes, I think it would be something hard to pass.

Justice in the countryside

Justice is dispensed quite differently in the countryside.

I appeared in a municipal trial court in one remote town in Cebu.

I immediately found the stark differences between law practice in the municipalities and the metropolis.

Contrary to popular perception, justice is dispensed speedier in the countryside courts.

The reason is that disputes sometimes are resolved right there and then.

For instance, there was a case of slander between two women.

The accused sought forgiveness beofre the judge.

The complainant was asked whether she accepted the apology.

When the complainant accepted, she desisted from pursuing the case, and that's the end of it.

The judge was immeidately able to dispose of one case. No lawyers involved.

There are very very few lawyers in the towns.

In the town court where I appeared, the police officer acted as the public prosecutor or fiscal.

He is a better court room practitioner than many lawyers who tremble when inside a courtroom.

If this is the prevailing situation in many rural areas, I think there ought to be more trainings on public prosecution for policemen, because they are doing more than just police work.

They are acting as prosecutors of felonies---at least less grave felonies..

In that far away town, obviously there was no public prosecutor assigned.

I am very appreciative of my court appearances in the municipal courts.

It has been a good reality check.

What happens in the metropolitan courts is not necessarily reflective of the situation in other places, specially in remote areas.

Everytime I appear, the policeman-prosecutor would sit beside me and inquire little things about court procedures.