CEBU, Philippines - “Doling does not in any way refer to the governor.”
This was the statement of tri-media personality Leo Lastimosa during his testimony yesterday before Judge Raphael Yrastorza of Regional Trial Court Branch 14.
Lastimosa was charged for a criminal case of libel for allegedly maligning Governor Gwendolyn Garcia in his Arangkada column in The FREEMAN titled “Si Doling Kawatan” in 2007. The column tells the story of a fish vendor who became rich after she entered politics.
However, Lastimosa belied the allegation. He said Doling was a fictitious name and refers to all not in particular.
His counsel, Celso Espinosa, said being a journalist his client gathered and deposited in his databank different characters. He said Doling can be anybody.
In his cross-examination, lawyer Rory John Sepulveda, counsel for the complainant, asked Lastimosa if he has a ghost writer to which he answered ‘no’.
Lastimosa said he wrote his column on his own.
Lastimosa admitted that from November 2006 to June 2007 he wrote issues involving provincial government but clarified not the whole parts of the column but some parts.
However, he reiterated that “Si Doling Kawatan” was not the governor. He said using Doling as the character in his column could be referred to other people.
Doling was depicted as a thieving, ill-tempered, arrogant and foul-mouthed woman in the column.
Lastimosa likewise admitted that before he wrote “Si Doling Kawatan” he asked for the documents pertaining to the construction of the Cebu International Convention Center.
He asked Sepulveda to be given time to review his columns from November 2006 to June 2007 so that he could “tell truthfully”.
The next hearing is set on Feb. 15, 2013 for the continuation of the cross-examination of Lastimosa. (FREEMAN)