Singer Erik Santos files libel suit against columnist Jobert Sucaldito
Nagsampa ng kaso si Erickson Raymundo at talent niyang si Erik Santos laban sa columnist at TV anchor na si Jobert Sucaldito.
Ang kasong isinampa ng dalawa ay kinabibilangan ng 43 counts of cyber libel, 12 counts of grave threats, 1 count of slander, and 2 counts of libel dahil sa mga pinost ni Jobert sa kanyang Facebook account.
Pero hindi natinag si Jobert sa patong-patong na kasong isinampa laban sa kanya.
Lalaban siya hanggang sa kanyang huling hininga. Kumuha na ng lawyer si Jobert para ipagtanggol ang kanyang sarili. Ang kinuha niya ay ang magaling at magiting na abogadong si Atty. Ferdinand Topacio.
Nagpadala si Atty. Topacio ng official statement bilang reaksyon sa mga kasong isinampa ni Erik at Erickson laban kay Jobert. Narito ang kabuuang official statement ni Atty. Topacio.
“The attempts of the camp of singer Erik Santos in silencing our client, Jobert Sucaldito — a legitimate and established entertainment journalist of long standing — first by lobbying for DZMM to suspend him, and thereafter by filing criminal charges and publicizing the same, are both appalling and alarming.
“But what is even more unnerving is the insistence of Mr. Santos that calling him “gay” is an imputation of a vice or defect. Unless he has been hiding under a rock for the past decade or so, Mr. Santos, being in the entertainment industry, should know better.
“’Gay'” is no longer a pejorative term in these enlightened times, but merely a statement of sexual preference. By saying that “gay” is an insult, Erik Santos insults all the gay people not only in this country but all over the world. It is an unacceptable throwback to intolerant times and a million steps backwards for LGBT rights.
“Having made it a substantial part of his career to court publicity, Mr. Santos and his managers should not be heard to complain that some of that publicity is unfavorable. There is truth to the saying that if one cannot stand the heat, he should get out of the kitchen. And verily, Mr. Santos cannot try to extinguish the fire because he will come out half-cooked.
“Jobert Sucaldito was only practicing his profession as he has been doing for most of his adult life. We will resist with the full force of the law every attempt to curtail his rights and prerogatives as a journalist and as citizen of the Philippines.”
