Mar 282014
 
ERWIN  TULFO, talks about network competition in the media. (photo courtesy of http://coolambo.ca/)

ERWIN TULFO, talks about network competition in the media. (photo courtesy of http://coolambo.ca/)

MANILA (Mabuhay) – Broadcaster Erwin Tulfo filed Monday a P12 million libel suit against the Philippine Daily Inquirer for publishing a story linking him to alleged media payoffs in 2009.

In his complaint affidavit, Tulfo filed a case against PDI editor-in-chief Letty Jimenez-Magsanoc, managing editor Jose Ma. Nolasco, news editor Artemio Engracia and news reporter Nancy Carvajal.

Tulfo’s libel complaint stemmed from the alleged libelous and malicious article in PDI dated March 19, 2014, headlined “Payoffs to media bared.”

The report quoted former National Agribusiness Corporation (NABCOR) officials Rhodora Mendoza and Vic Cacal as saying that TV5 news anchor Erwin Tulfo and Radio DzBB broadcaster Melo del Prado received payoffs in the form of “advertising expenses” from the government agency in 2009.

Mendoza and Cacal said Tulfo received a check for P245,535 on March 10, 2009 drawn from a NABCOR account at United Coconut Planters’ Bank (UCPB), Tektite Branch PSE Center, Ortigas, Pasig City.

On the other hand, Del Prado, Carmelo del Prado Magdurulang in real life, received three checks totaling P245,535 on April 27, May 14, and July 6 in 2009, also drawn from the same UCPB account.

The checks were part of documents submitted by Mendoza and Cacal to the Office of the Ombudsman.

Cacal said apart from the vouchers justifying the processing of the payment, no other documents were provided to justify the expenses.

Tulfo said the article placed him in a bad light for being one of the alleged beneficiaries on the diversion of congressional allocations engaged in ghost projects of bogus foundations.

He said what he received was legitimate payment for advertising slots when he was still a radio commentator of RMN radio.

Lawyer Nelson Borja added that those payments were subject to taxes signed by Mendoza.

Tulfo said that he is willing to face any Senate inquiry or justice department investigation. (MNS)

Jun 052013
 
PDI president urges newspaper publishers: Embrace new media

By Michael Lim Ubac Philippine Daily Inquirer 1:40 am | Thursday, June 6th, 2013 INQUIRER THRUST Sandy Prieto-Romualdez, Inquirer president and CEO, presents the innovations adapted by the Inquirer to reach out to a wider audience before publishers and editors from all over the world at the 65th World Newspaper Congress on Wednesday. CONTRIBUTED PHOTO BANGKOK—Inquirer president and CEO Alexandra Prieto-Romualdez said in a global conference of publishers on Wednesday that the Inquirer would pursue its “strong heritage of being a watchdog of government.” Romualdez conveyed, in effect, a message that the Inquirer’s role as a sentinel of democracy, besides being a newspaper of record, was the heart and soul of the Philippines’ No. 1 national daily. This advocacy has “gotten us into quite (some) burning pots situations,” she said. Coming from this perspective, Romualdez talked about the paper’s success story since its birth 27 years ago, and discussed the larger media trends in the country amid technological innovations that were rapidly changing the media terrain in the print and digital spheres. “Embrace it at a faster pace,” she said of the social media revolution. Romualdez was the only other woman speaker at the plenary sessions of the three-day 65th World Newspaper Congress, which closed Wednesday. Thai Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra addressed the group on Tuesday. Romualdez was one of the four speakers during Session 8 of the conference at the Bangkok Convention Center attended by some 1,500 newspaper publishers, editors, advertisers and other media staff from 70 countries to Read More …