CYBER LIBEL. Former San Simon councilor Melchor ‘Mel’ S. Tayag (center) together with his lawyers Ira Mari J. Sembrano (left) and Jose Mari C. Lacas (right) show complaint filed against TV anchor Erwin Tulfo at the Provincial Prosecutor’s Office. Contributed photo
CITY OF SAN FERNANDO — A former town councilor misidentified as the “cruel owner of Real Steel Corp” in social media posts by popular TV news anchor Erwin Tulfo filed seven counts of cyber-libel against the latter late Tuesday afternoon.
Melchor Santillan Tayag, former member of the sangguniang bayan of San Simon and the town’s environment and natural resources officer formally filed the charges before the Office of the Provincial Prosecutor here, saying Tulfo’s posts in separate occasions maligned his good name as a former public servant and a private businessman.
“I was described as Chinese national in one of the social media posts with caption “Chinese national pinipilit ang mga empleyado magshabu, ginagawang target practice at binubugbog,” said Tayag in his complaint affidavit filed received by Atty. Chito Pantaleon, associate provincial prosecutor and investigating prosecutor.
Tayag’s complaint against Tulfo is only the first of what appears to be a series of legal actions against the media personality.
The management of Real Steel Corp. is reported to be preparing separate complaints of multiple counts of cyber-libel against Tulfo and a certain Joey Gumana, the alleged source of “malicious” information of the news anchor.
According to RSC legal counsel Jose Mari C. Lacas, pieces of evidence have been gathered against the duo alleged as “responsible behind the lies and baseless accusations posted on social media against the steel manufacturing industry.”
“Tulfo’s multiple posts including allegations of maltreatment and other accusations against the owner of RSC have been found to be baseless and false,” said Lacas.
In his Sept 10 and 11 posts on Facebook, Tulfo said some of the employees at RSC are being maltreated and were made as target practice by the Chinese owner and forced to sniff shabu before reporting to work.
He also said that the RSC owner would be facing multiple criminal charges in court including human trafficking, violation of the immigration laws, and serious illegal detention as complained by the workers who, he noted, were prevented from going out of the steel factory for six months.
Earlier, the Central Luzon office of the Department of Labor and Employment, backed by the town police visited the RSC to check the condition of workers and at the same time conduct investigations on the allegations made by Tulfo on his social media page.
“The workers were not locked-up, they were not allowed to go out and accept visitors to protect them from the coronavirus,” said DOLE-3 director Maria Zenaida Angara Campita in a phone interview, adding that RSC intention is good to prevent its employees from contracting the coronavirus disease.
Campita said the workers voluntarily resigned and were not rescued as earlier reported in other media outlet.
The local police also issued certification citing that RSC workers and their workplaces are drug-free.
