Che-che pleads not guilty

MANILA, Philippines - Veteran broadcast journalist Cecilia “Cheche” Lazaro entered a not guilty plea during her arraignment yesterday at the Pasay City Metropolitan Trial Court in connection with the violation of The Anti-Wiretapping Act (RA 4200) filed against her by an official of the Government Service Insurance System.

Lazaro, 63, who said she is glad with the overwhelming support she is getting from the teachers,clarified, “Ang dapat pagtuunan ng pansin ay ang issue ng mga teachers. Kwinekwestyon nila kung bakit hindi sila nabibigyan ng sapat na benepisyo ng GSIS. Ito ang dapat na maipaliwanag,” she said after proceedings at the sala of Judge Josephine Vito Cruz of the Pasay MTC-Branch 47

She said that even if doing her job meant being harassed or filed a case like this, she is ready. “Mamamahayag tayo. Ito ang isa sa mga hamon na dapat nating harapin katulad ng pagsuri sa mga hindi nakukuhang benepisyo ng mga guro.”

Lazaro said that GSIS is a public accountable government institution that should answer or explain why they failed to give the teachers their well-deserved benefits.

Meanwhile, the Manila Public School Teachers’ Association expressed their full support to Lazaro. MPSTA president Arsenio Jallorina said that it is unfortunate that those who are helping or sympathizing with them are the ones who should undergo this ordeal. “We will support her (Lazaro) all the way until the court hands down a decision on the case,” Jallorina said.

Apart from Lazaro, there are said to be 18 other ABS-CBN network executives who were included in the charge sheet. However, the cases against them were dropped and only Lazaro was left in this court battle. This developed after GSIS Vice President for Communications Ella Valencerina filed a complaint at the Pasay City Prosecutor’s Office. She claimed that Probe and television network ABS-CBN secretly recorded a telephone conversation she had with Lazaro and aired the recording without her consent, in violation of The Anti-Wiretapping Law.

The interview was aired on Nov. 12, 2008 in an episode of Probe, and a replay was shown on Nov. 16, 2008.