SC affirms libel conviction of Brother Eli Soriano of ‘Ang Dating Daan’
Credit to Author: The Manila Times| Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2018 09:46:45 +0000
THE Supreme Court (SC) upheld the libel conviction of “Ang Dating Daan” preacher Eliseo “Brother Eli” Soriano for mocking a co-pastor on his radio program 20 years ago.
In a decision dated December 21, 2018, the high court ruled in favor of Jesus Miracle Crusade International Ministry (JMCIM) evangelist Wilde Almeda.
The verdict, which was penned by Associate Justice Noel Tijam, agreed with the appellate court’s ruling in May 2016 and Iriga City court Branch 60 in June 2012, which found Soriano guilty of libel as provided under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC) when he called Almeda an “apostle of demons” and “false prophet” on his “Ang Dating Daan” radio show in Iriga City on July 31, 1998.
Article 353 of the RPC defines libel as “a public and malicious imputation of a crime, or of a vice or defect, real or imaginary, or any act, omission, condition, status or circumstance tending to cause dishonor, discredit or contempt of a natural or juridical person, or to blacken the memory of one who is dead.”
Soriano lost his appeal before the First Division of the high tribunal, which found his arguments on the violation of religious freedom “deficient in merit.”
The court said that the televangelist’s comments were “plain and simple insults directed at another person,” and that he was provoked by “anger and the need to seek retribution.”
The high tribunal, however, acquitted Soriano of a separate count of libel filed by the JMCIM and its members against the pastor over his rants against the church but was fined P6,000. CATHERINE A. MODESTO
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