Prof. Antonio L. Tinio, national chairperson of the teachers’ group Alliance of Concerned Teachers (ACT) and other teachers from different schools in Metro-Manila denounced the libel charges lodged against him by Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) president and general manager Winston Garcia.

Facing four counts of libel, Tinio warmly faced the media, November 15, determined to assail once again the incompetence of Garcia as GSIS president and general manager, as well as what he calls the “anti-teacher” program of surety companies such as the Premium-Based Policy and the Claims and Loans Interdependency Program.

These policies, according to Tinio, have unfairly deprived hundreds of thousands of public school teachers and other GSIS members of the benefits granted to them by law.

Libel cannot silence critics

“If Garcia thinks that they can silence his critics by libel charges, he’s wrong. We will intensify our campaigns against his anti-teacher policies,” Tinio told the media.

Aside from Tinio, four columnists from three major dailies were charged with libel for quoting in their columns Tinio’s statements that the sale of GSIS stocks in the Manila Electric Company (Meralco) to San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is “inimical to the interest of public school teachers.”

The columnists facing libel charges are Federico Pascual, Jr of the Philippine Star; Dan Mariano of the Manila Times; and Raul Valino and Lito Gagni, both of Business Mirror.

Meanwhile, implicated together with the respondents were the opinion editors of their respective papers, namely, Ramon Lim (Philippine Star), Rene Bas (Manila Times) and Lyn Resurreccion (Business Mirror).

However, the libel charges against Tinio are still pending at the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office. It would still be determined if there is probable cause to file the cases in court.

Not the first time

But this is not the first time Garcia slapped his critics with a libel suit.

Last September, Ferdinand R. Gaite, the national president of the Confederation for Unity, Recognition and Advancement of Government Employees (Courage) rushed to the Pasay City Regional Trial Court Br. 112, to post bail in connection with the libel case filed against him by Garcia. The case stemmed from articles published in the Manila Times and the former Today which quoted him as saying that Garcia is mismanaging GSIS funds.

Among the issues raised by Gaite and his group were the non-posting of teachers’ premium payments, deduction from their benefits due to the government’s non-payment of its contributions, cross-default policy, the housing loan policy of GSIS, ill-advised investments, purchase of Juan Luna paintings, purchase of Meralco shares, US$1.4 billion investment overseas and ineffective P700-million ($12,708,787 at the 2005 average exchange rate of $1=P55.08) computerization project. Garcia has denied all these allegations.

The case against Gaite was dismissed in 2005 by the Department of Justice (DoJ) due to lack of merit, only to be resurrected this year.

Gaite filed a P10,500 (US$212.72 based on the November 15, 2008 exchange rate $1=P49.36) bail to gain his temporary freedom.

It’s the teachers’ role to watch for corruption

Prof. Sarah Raymundo of the University of the Philippines said that it’s the duty of educators to be watchdogs against corruption.

“Isa sa pinakaimportanteng papel ng titser ay ang isiwalat ang katiwalian. At ang kaso laban sa isang magaling at iginagalang na lider-guro, katulad ng tagapangulo ng ACT, ay isang malinaw na pag-atake sa buong sektor ng kaguruan mismo (One of the most important roles of teachers is to expose corruption. And the case against a good and respected teacher-leader such as the ACT chairperson is a clear attack against the whole education sector),” Raymundo said.

Raymundo, a professor of sociology at the University of the Philippines’ (UP) College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, is a member of the Congress of Teachers/Educators for Nationalism and Democracy (Contend).

On the other hand, Dr. Ramon Guillermo of the All-UP Academic Union said that if Garcia is transparent and if he “pilots” the GSIS well, then he would not receive any criticism.

“E, hindi siya transparent, e (But he’s not transparent),” Guillermo said.

A confederated libel vs. GSIS

In statements issued to media, Garcia said that accusing him of mismanagement is a “confederated libel committed by different columnists writing practically the same unfounded allegations against the GSIS.

“We can only surmise that unseen forces behind the anti-GSIS demolition job had fed them the patent lies, contained in their misleading columns,” stated Garcia.

Lucio Yu Jr., counsel of Garcia and the one who filed the libel cases, said the write-ups and commentaries were “baseless and malicious.”

He said it is untrue that Garcia pocketed P3 billion ($60.77 million), from the P30 billion ($607, 779,578) sale price of the Meralco shares as his commission.

Garcia maintained that the GSIS could not have been disadvantaged by the sale because it sold the Meralco shares at P90 ($1.82) per share last Oct. 27, at a time when Meralco shares were selling at P44 ($0.89) at the Philippine Stock Exchange (PSE).

He said that by any standard of price valuation, therefore, the shares were effectively sold twice the prevailing market price. “By no stretch of the imagination can such sale at a premium be considered as disadvantageous to the GSIS,” Garcia said.

ACT members said they would continue to organize and consolidate their ranks, and would continue to seek redress of their grievances. Bulatlat.com

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