It is mind-boggling why I am being singled out for prosecution for following the tenets of responsible journalism. If raising the concerns of underpaid public school teachers deprived of their benefits by a publicly accountable government institution and giving my accuser the airtime to explain her boss's side of the story are now considered crimes under our laws, then I plead guilty.
This is a small price to pay for bringing a perfectly legitimate public interest issue out in the open. Probe will not be intimidated into submission. I just wish my accuser will play fair and hire private lawyers instead of using government lawyers (from the GSIS), whose salaries are incidentally paid for by, among others, the teachers shortchanged by the questionable policy of the GSIS and private citizens like me who pay taxes.
In the last 22 years, Probe has carved a niche in the industry and won recognition here and abroad for consistently adhering to time-honored journalistic values of accuracy, fairness and objectivity. My team and I have no plans of changing the way we work just to accommodate the personal agenda of people in power.
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On May 7, 2009 the Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court issued a warrant of arrest for Cheche Lazaro for the wire-tapping case filed against her by the GSIS.
Today, May 8, she will appear before the judge (branch 47) before 1:30 pm.
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Editor's note: I receive this email on my inbox, right now I'm currently working on some research to finally give opinion on the said issue.
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