Sun Star editor testifies in Lastimosa libel case
WHO was the “Doleng” referred to by veteran broadcaster-columnist Leo Lastimosa in his Freeman column published on June 29, 2007?
After reading the controversial column, nine out of 15 UP Cebu College students in a class supervised by Sun Star Cebu’s Pachico Seares identified “Doleng” as Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
But Seares said the nine students learned about “Doleng’s” identity through media commentators.
“They said it (Doleng) was the governor because some commentators said it was the governor,” said Seares, who is presently the public and standards editor of Sun Star Cebu.
Seares, the paper’s former editor in chief, was presented by the prosecution as its third witness against Lastimosa yesterday because of his column “Who is Doleng” in Sun Star’s July 19 issue, where he discussed his students’ observations.
Clear identification of a person is a key element of libel. On cross-examination, Seares said many descriptions of “Doleng” in Lastimosa’s column don’t match the governor.
“Many descriptions didn’t fit the governor. (The descriptions) applied to many people,” he said.
In his column “Doleng Kawatan,” Lastimosa described an unnamed powerful female official who fooled the people.
The column, one of several critical pieces about the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC) in Mandaue City, described Doleng as a “fish-monger, a barangay captain, thief, vindictive, ill-tempered, foul-mouthed and cruel.”
Garcia claimed that she was the Doleng referred to by Lastimosa. She said Lastimosa lamely resorted to allegory and metaphor in assaulting her.
The prosecution may present Governor Garcia in the next hearing on March 2.
Lastimosa’s lawyer Celso Espinosa later said Seares’ testimony was “favorable to his client.”
Lawyer Elias Espinosa, president of the Cebu Media Legal Aid (Cemla) was present yesterday to support Lastimosa. The group is composed of volunteer lawyers who offer their services for free in defense of journalists. Reporter Ador Vincent S. Mayol
