MANILA, Philippines鈥擳he head of the local business group who was among those charged by the Marikina City government for reportedly failing to pay around P14 million for the operation of a Christmas bazaar in 2012, is also filing charges鈥攖his time, against the head of a government unit and media organizations that reportedly maligned him.
In an interview in Marikina on Tuesday, Eduardo Francisco, who heads the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry-Marikina Chapter, said he has instructed his lawyer to file libel charges聽 this week against Paul Sison, the head of the City Public Information Office, whom he said leaked 鈥渓ibelous information鈥� to media 鈥渨ith the intention of destroying his reputation.鈥�
鈥淭he PIO is using the social media鈥f you look at the PIO website, even before the stories were published in the papers, (there was already a story there),鈥� he said.
The Philippine Daily Inquirer tried to reach Sison for comment, but he has not responded to calls and messages so far.
Francisco added the same charges would be filed against Manila Bulletin and Remate, among several others, that reportedly did not 鈥渆ven bother to get his side鈥� despite the fact that he was mentioned in their stories as one of the respondents to the civil case Mayor Del de Guzman on Saturday had ordered to be filed.
The P14-million suit, which was filed against PCCI key officials including Francisco on Monday, stems from the group鈥檚 reported failure to fully pay the local government P22 million, which represents the 鈥渃ontract price鈥� agreed upon by both parties for the PCCI鈥檚 operation of a Christmas bazaar near the city hall in December.
Of the P22 million specified in the memorandum of agreement signed by both parties in October 2012, the PCCI has paid P7.2 million so far.
In the group鈥檚 defense, Francisco argued that it did not owe the local government any more money as he said the P16.2 million it had reportedly incurred as 鈥渓osses鈥� from the local government鈥檚 鈥渇ailure to comply with its deliverables鈥� under the MOA should be deducted from the total contract price.
He said the group had in fact paid the government 鈥渋n excess.鈥�
A check of the stories published online on June 2 showed reporters quoting De Guzman as saying that PCCI, 鈥渟pecifically鈥� Francisco and PCCI executive director Leonardo Clarino, 鈥渨ould be held accountable for making a travesty of the public-private partnership intended by the project.鈥�
鈥淭he fact that (those media organizations) didn鈥檛 get my side, it destroyed my integrity, my reputation as a businessman,鈥� Francisco said.
He said the media organizations should have given him 鈥渢he benefit鈥� of answering the allegations, and not merely ran the 鈥渓ibelous information鈥� that was leaked to them.
He said he has always been available to reporters trying to get the side of the PCCI local chapter on issues.
He said the libel charges would be filed at the Marikina Regional Trial Court.