Whistle-blower finds errors, too, in 9-page libel complaint

A textbook case on prima facie evidence? School supervisor Antonio Go was slapped days ago with a libel complaint for exposing over 400 errors in an Asian history textbook used in the nation’s public schools. After reading the nine-page complaint lodged against him last month by textbook author Teofista Vivar, Go’s first observation was this — it also contained dozens of errors.

"Maybe it was from force of habit, I checked the affidavit of Dr. Vivar and I detected 75 errors in it," he told The STAR in an interview. The errors were either typographical or grammatical.

Go said he had an inkling from the affidavit’s opening statement alone that it would — like the textbook — likely contain errors.

"In my content evaluation of the textbooks given to me when textbook publishers offer their books to our school, it has been my observation that one would know if a book will be full of errors just by reading the author’s preface. If it already has errors, then the book would be full of errors," said Go, the academic supervisor of Marian School, a private school in Quezon City.

Vivar’s opening statement read: "I, Teofista Vivar y Laderas, of legal age, single, Filipino, with residence and postal address at 16 Maaalahanin Street, Teacher’s Village, Quezon City, after aving (sic) been duly sworn to in accordance with the law, do hereby deposes and states (sic)…."

"Deposes and states" should read "depose and state" so there would be subject-verb agreement, Go pointed out. "That is very basic."

Vivar co-authored the history book "Asya: Noon, Ngayon at Hinaharap" with Ruth Fuentes, Remedio Quiray and Evelina Viloria.

Aside from "Asya," three other public school textbooks that Go said were also riddled with errors are now being evaluated by academicians.

After confirming the errors in it, Education Secretary Florencio Abad said "Asya" is already being rewritten by University of the Philippines historians.

Education Undersecretary Fe Hidalgo said that they have decided to have the textbook rewritten for use in the third and fourth quarter of the current school year.

The team of 22 historians will be able to complete its task by next week and will submit to the Department of Education the teachers’ manual that will accompany the rewritten textbook.

Go initially considered filing a counter-complaint against the 75-year-old Vivar, a retired Department of Education school district superintendent, but decided against it for "humanitarian" reasons, citing the complainant’s age.

But he said he is ready to face Vivar in court.