Entertainment anchor and news reporter Gretchen Fullido is seeking a total of P48 million in damages from colleagues Ces Drilon, Marie Lozano and Venancio Borromeo, accusing them of libel under Article 353 of the Revised Penal Code.
In the documents shared to The Manila Times by Fullido’s counsel Marvin Aceron, Fullido is seeking P16 million damages from each of the accused in the libel case.
“Because of this vicious and malicious attack on my reputation, I have suffered moral damages in the amount of P5,000,000, in the form of sleepless nights, besmirched reputation and standing in the industry as a professional and competent news reporter and talent,” the complaint against Drilon stated.
“This is aside from the actual damages of P5,000,000 as well as P5,000,000 in exemplary damages, as well as P1,000,000 in attorney’s fees and costs.”
Drilon, formerly a news anchor for ABS-CBN’s late night news program “Bandila” and currently content acquisition head of the ABS-CBN Lifestyle Ecosystem Group, has denied Fullido’s allegations.
On her official Twitter account @cesdrilon, she pointed out that she has been an advocate of women’s rights and empowerment throughout her life.
“As a victim of sexual harassment once before, it is unthinkable for me to say what Gretchen Fullido alleges I did.
I encourage and support women to exercise their right to come out with truthful stories of harassment and abuse and I would never belittle any such move,” Drilon wrote on Saturday, a day after Fullido’s filing.
“I was asked to testify in an internal, confidential investigation into Gretchen’s allegation and some of what I said during the investigation has been distorted,” she added.
Fullido’s complaint against Drilon was because of her statement before an internal probe last year, convened after the former filed an administrative complaint.
“While I worked as anchor of TV Patrol, I witnessed Ted Failon and Noli De Castro make side comments, in between breaks on TV Patrol, about Gretchen Fullido’s body, manner of dress, or behavior that, in my opinion, constituted sexual harassment or inappropriate behavior,” Drilon said in an affidavit, which was included in the libel complaint.
“But Gretchen Fullido only laughed off those comments. She never complained. One remark she made in one party struck me: she said she was willing to wear a bikini with an inflatable pool and bubbles on TV Patrol to shore up its ratings.”
Since then, Drilon has kept mum on the issue.
Evelyn Ursua, the lawyer of Cheryl Favila and Maricar Asprec, who have been separately accused of sexual harassment by Fullido, said Drilon, Lozano, and Borromeo did not commit libel.
“Those people submitted affidavits in the internal investigation in ABS-CBN,” she said in a text message to The Manila Times on Tuesday. “That’s privileged communication. Cannot be libel. In fact, it was Fullido who published them through her complaint.”
Fake #MeToo?
A Facebook page was launched on Sunday, called “Stand with Cheryl Favila and Maricar Asprec,” to air their sides, their camp told The Manila Times on Tuesday.
The page contains the counter-affidavits and position papers of the pair.
Favila and Asprec denied asking Fullido for sexual favors.
In Favila’s counter-affidavit, she said Fullido singled out text messages without showing the full conversation.
On October 23, 2015, Favila told Fullido by text, “Isipin mo [think about it], you rejected me once. I will never forget that.” Fullido later replied, “Sus, you’re so ma-drama (You’re full of drama)! Bawal super emo (Don’t be super-emotional) on a nice Saturday! Joke! Peace na tayo, ha!”
On Favila’s birthday on July 20, 2016, after Fullido greeted her a happy birthday, the former said, “Thank you, Gretchen! Pero gusto ko ng live rendition ng Happy Birthday song mo na naka-super sexy outfit ka. Hahaha! Birthday ko naman, di ba?” (I want your live rendition of Happy Birthday in a super-sexy outfit. It’s my birthday, right?) Fullido replied, “A la Marilyn Monroe to JFK? Pwede naman (It can be done)! Hahaha! Let’s have a birthday dinner when you’re free ha! Happy birthday Chair (Favila)!”
Favila later said in her affidavit that the conversation with Fullido on her birthday was “made in jest.”
“The fact that Gretchen Fullido mentioned the Marilyn Monroe to JFK happy birthday rendition indicated that she was used to our style of SMS chat that sometimes teased her,” it wrote.
‘Thursday Girl’?
In Fullido’s affidavit, she claimed that the Thursday girl attribute by Favila was a clear indication of sexual assault.
However, Asprec, in her affidavit, said it was something that Favila, who is her domestic partner, did every Thursday when they were not together.
“Dahil hindi po ako umiinom ng alcohol, nagkaroon kami ng agreement ni Chair (Favila) na pwede siyang lumabas at uminom without me every Thursday (Because I do not drink, we had an agreement that she can go out and drink without me every Thursday),” Asprec said.
“I never asked Gretchen to be Chair’s Thursday Girl,” Asprec said. “Tinanong ko lang po siya kung bakit siya nag-no agad kay Chair noong tinanong siya nito kung pwede siyang maging Thursday Girl. Ang sabi niya ay hindi niya alam ang ibig sabihin ng Thursday Girl. Sinabi niya ito noong March 2, 2016, pero kung pagbabasehan po ang text namin noong July 30, 2015, siya mismo ang nagloloko at nagsabi ng ‘thirst-day’ (I asked her why she said no to Chair when she asked if she could be her Thursday Girl. She said she didn’t know what that meant. She said it on March 2, 2016, but her basis was our text exchange on July 30, 2015. She was joking and said ‘thirst-day’).”
ABS-CBN did not do the right procedures – Ursua
Favila and Asprec, in position papers filed in April, stated that ABS-CBN did not follow Republic Act 7877, which addresses sexual harassment between superiors and employees.
“The ABS-CBN management decided solely the composition of the ad hoc committee on decorum and investigation,” it said. “The manner of investigation conducted by the ad hoc committee also violated respondents’ right to due process. The right to confront one’s accuser is a basic or fundamental requirement of due process in a long line of cases decided by the Supreme Court, but the ad hoc committee refused the request of the respondents to hear Fullido’s statements or testimony in person. They invoked company rules, which respondents were not aware about, if indeed they existed, and company prerogative.”
The position paper accused Ma. Regina “Ging” Reyes, who is the head of ABS-CBN Integrated News and Current Affairs and ABS-CBN chief of reporters Lynda Jumilla, of committing “irregular” acts.
In February, Reyes, while in the US, supposedly called Favila via Viber, asking her to apologize to Fullido, which Favila questioned.
‘Fullido should be dismissed’
The position paper of Favila and Asprec also said Fullido should be dismissed by ABS-CBN, as she had committed an offense against the producers and staff of TV Patrol.
“Fullido must be held guilty of making false and malicious statements against them, including respondents, and spreading those statements in the guise of making a legitimate complaint, thereby casting aspersions on their personal and professional integrity,” it said.
Fullido continues to appear on TV Patrol and was on air on dZMM for her Sunday program with Ambet Nabus, Chismax.
With a reports from ARIC JOHN SY CUA