‘I respect the Resolution but fight continues no matter what,’ Tecson says
Kasamang Rhoderick “Rod” Tecson, one of Iloilo’s top broadcast journalists and popular anchorman of Radio Mindanao Network (RMN) Iloilo is ready to post bail. In fact, he maintains that Libel indictment or not, he remains respectful of the country’s judicial process.
Especially now too that the Office of the Iloilo City Prosecutor in a 10-paged Resolution found probable cause on a Libel complaint naming him as respondent.
“I respect the judicial process reason why I duly submitted myself to it. But the fight is far from over as I submit myself to legal options available to me. More importantly, I maintain my campaign and advocacy for decency and accountability in government and non-government dealings. I believe that the public deserves protection. So whatever it takes… whatever it takes,” Tecson said when reached for comment by The News Today (TNT). “I stand by my story no matter what it takes.”
Tecson has since led the expose against a longtime scam that hit the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth).
Dubbed as the “Cataract Scam,” Tecon’s Libel charge stemmed from the in-house report of PhilHealth that tagged several private hospitals behind illegal and irregular practices.
His accuser, Evangeline Johnson/Evangeline Farahmand is top executive of a Bacolod City-based hospital named in the PhilHealth report.
“Again, this is not the end of it all. The City Prosecutors found probable cause thus elevating the complaint to Court. I reserve my right to present my case and I believe still that truth will set me free – literally and figuratively speaking,” Tecson added.
To note, Tecson in his defense pointed out that his commentaries “were all but fair…”
“As far as the respondent is concerned, the issues he tackled in his commentaries were matters impressed with public interest,” the Resolution stated.
Yet in the foregoing discussion and analysis, Libel was established particularly on the matter of Tecson’s statement that Johnson/Farahmand is “a person of loose morals,” if not promiscuous,” “a devil,” “a cheat or deceitful person,” “a shameless person without honor.”
The verbal tirades, the City Prosecutors Office resolved, got out of hand.
“Their only recourse is to go to Court to redeem their honor. This is the purpose of the Libel law,” the Resolution went.