Government employees belonging to the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) asked the Pasay City Regional Trial Court on Oct. 3 to once and for all junk the libel case filed by Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president and general manager Winston Garcia against their national president Ferdinand Gaite.
BY NOEL SALES BARCELONA
Bulatlat
Government employees belonging to the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) asked the Pasay City Regional Trial Court on Oct. 3 to once and for all junk the libel case filed by Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president and general manager Winston Garcia against their national president Ferdinand Gaite.
In a protest rally held outside the City’s Hall of Justice at around 8:30 in the morning of October 3, which coincided with the RTC Branch 112 hearing, Courage leaders said it is high time that the court put an end to the case because the longer it pursues the case, the more it prolongs the injustice done not only against Courage’s national president but also against all government employees.
Branch 112 is hearing the Motion to Quash filed by Gaite’s lawyers from the Roque and Butuyan Law Office.
The case was a rehash of an earlier libel case filed before the Department of Justice (DoJ) in 2004 by Garcia.
The earlier case was promptly dismissed due to lack of merit. But at the height of Courage’s exposé against the government’s failed Meralco takeover bid through the GSIS, the libel case was refiled by Garcia by virtue of a DoJ resolution reversing itself on the same case.
“It speaks badly of the way public officials treat people who would unselfishly put their lives and reputation at stake to expose and oppose schemes that defraud employees of their hard-earned contributions and pensions. The case is obviously nothing but harassment, an attempt to silence those critical of Garcia’s policies, like Gaite,” says Rose Deblois, Courage 1st Vice President.
Among those who attended the rally were employees from the Senate of the Philippines, National Parks Development Committee, Philippine Fisheries Development Authority, Department of Labor and Employment, Duty free Philippines, Bureau of Customs, National Housing Authority, Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, National Food Authority and even the Pasay City Court Employees Association.
The protesters peacefully ended their rally after the court hearing at around 11:00 a.m. Bulatlat
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