Judge clears GMANews.TV report about Ces Drilon kidnap case
A letter was addressed to GMA Films president Annette Gozon-Abrogar, stating that Judge Paz Esperanza Cortes denied a report of GMANews.TV on April 13 that said it was her court that exonerated the Isnajis and ordered their release.
In June 2008, charges were filed against Indanan, Sulu Mayor Alvarez Isnaji and son Haider earlier this month with regards to the abduction of broadcaster Ces Drilon.
"I would like to inform you that GMANews.TV had erred in the dissemination of the information with regards to the acquittal of [Alvarez and Haider Isnaji] in the Ces Drilon kidnapping case," Cortes said in her letter.
"It is true that I had handled the Isnaji case before but I granted the Motion for Inhibition of the defense after I denied the petition for bail. Consequently, the case was raffled to another RTC Taguig Court. This would be very easy to check by the mere act of reading the decision," she added. "The aforecited report is certainly untrue as my court is not the one that had issued the decision acquitting the Isnajis." Cortes said she handled the case before, but the case was transferred to another branch.
She is asking for clarification from GMANews.TV, and to apologize publicly to clear her reputation.
"It would considerably raise my opinion of journalism in the Philippines if you would make amends by issuing a report correcting the news on the Isnaji case and by apologizing publicly for said April 13 news report. It is hoped that you would do so immediately before the public forgets about the issue and thereby stain my reputation forever," Cortes said.
Meanwhile, GMANews.TV Editor-in-Chief Howie Severino obliged to Cortes’ demands, "We incorrectly attributed the decision to Judge Cortes’ sala. We’re sorry for any hurt this may have caused."
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