Bishop on libel suit: 'I'm being silenced'

By Abigail Kwok
INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz said Monday that he was being "silenced" by authorities as Justice Secretary Raul Gonzales earlier in the day ordered the filing of a libel suit against the archbishop.

Gonzales has ordered the filing of a libel case against Cruz over his alleged disclosure of the presence of 19 usherettes of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR) at the birthday party of First Gentleman Jose Miguel "Mike" Arroyo in 2004.

In an interview with INQUIRER.net, Cruz said he would wait for a copy of the complaint before giving his official statement. However, "there is no libelous intent in the item I wrote," he said.

Cruz said that what he wrote was meant to protect the women and not to violate them.

He said that PAGCOR marketing assistants were made to act as GROs [guest relations officers] during the First Gentleman's birthday party, which was unfair for the women.

Cruz said he even brought the issue to women's groups and said the incident was a possible exploitation against women.

Cruz said that PAGCOR could be behind the libel suit. "They [PAGCOR] know my stand against gambling and they want to silence me," Cruz said.

"Sino ba naman ako [Who am I]? Why would they spend their public funds against me?" he added.