AIR their side, uphold freedom of the press, the National Press Club said in a statement following calls of a cause-oriented group that a businessman threatened to sue members of the media for writing about the听joint venture agreement for the development of Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC 13) property in Quezon City.
鈥淲e continue to live in a democracy that upholds freedom of the press and the right to air all sides in any controversy and not those that only favor the side of the rich, the powerful and the influential,鈥� the NPC said in a statement.
The Coalition of Filipino Consumers through its Secretary General Perfecto Jaime Tagalog urged听the Committee of听Press Freedom of the National Press Club to look into reports that some听media听outfits have received 鈥渨arning鈥� from听 lawyers of R-II Builders Inc. on possible lawsuits.
鈥淲hile they have every right to sue, the alleged threat to do so is a form of harassment and intimidation that we cannot countenance,鈥� the NPC said.
听
At the same time, the NPC called on their colleagues to be professional.
鈥淥n the other hand, we also call on our media colleagues to be professional and to always abide by our own code of ethics in the exercise of our profession.鈥�
R-II Builder already denied the allegation.
Its Corporate Secretary Mark Boado said in his Twitter account that the allegation of听harassment听is 鈥渏ust dirty tactics from a desperate group.鈥�
IBC-13 and RII Builders Inc.-Primestate Ventures Inc. signed the joint venture agreement (JVA) on March 24, 2010 to develop 36,401 of the 41,401 sq. m. of IBC-13 property in Broadcast City in Capitol Hills, Diliman, Quezon City into a residential complex and the remaining 5,000 sq. m. was for the construction of two buildings for IBC-13.
The transaction has also been the subject of an investigation by the Office of the Ombudsman since 2013. But has been cleared by the anti-graft body in a ruling issued last April.
The Ombudsman said there is not enough evidence to indict officials of IBC 13 and R-II builders for graft.
鈥淭he JVA, far from being grossly and manifestly disadvantageous to the government, proved to be in fact advantageous with its intention of alleviating the financial distress of the IBC-13 employees, both supervisory and rank and file,鈥� the Ombudsman said.