Anti-crime crusader pays P30K fine for contempt of high court

MANILA, Philippines—The founding chairman of an anti-crime group on Wednesday paid the P30, 000 fine imposed on him by the Supreme Court after he was cited for contempt following his outburst in reaction to the high court’s decision on the Vizconde massacre case.

Dante Jimenez, who used to head the Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption (VACC), told reporters minutes after paying the fine: “It is with deep regret that I have to pay the fine imposed on me by the Honorable Supreme Court from the original imposition fine of P100, 000 to P30, 000.”

He turned over P30,000, mostly in coins collected from members of the VACC and his supporters through the “Piso-Piso for Ka Dante.”

“I feel that it is my humble obligation to turn over to the court the donation entrusted to me by VACC members, supporters and friends to the amount of P30,000 that has been accumulated as of today,” Jimenez said.

Last March 1, the high court reduced his fine from P100,000 to P30,000 as his penalty for putting in a bad light the Supreme Court after he reacted to the acquittal of Hubert Webb and six others in the killing of three members of Lauro Vizconde’s family.

Jimenez refused to apologize for uttering unprintable words against the high court justices, saying they were products of an emotional outburst and that they were uttered without malice.