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De Ocampo found at fault for defamation for her participation in the Fifth Estate’s program

Iglesia Ni Cristo v. Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, Liezl De Ocampo, et al. Manitoba Court of Queen’s Bench File No. CI19-01-19079____________________

Iglesia Ni Cristo (“INC”) provides the following update on its defamation suit against Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (“CBC”), CBC’s employees, Lowell II Robosa Menorca, Rolando Dizon, and Liezl De Ocampo.

INC’s defamation suit arises from the CBC’s November 2018 broadcast of an investigative news program which purported to report on the workings and activities of INC. The program formed part of CBC’s public affairs series, “The Fifth Estate,” and was subsequently rebroadcast on the CBC website.

The program featured interviews with the former INC members: Lowell II Robosa Menorca, Rolando Dizon, and Liezl De Ocampo.

Winnipeg lawyer Jay Prober, who represents the church, said that CBC rejected the offer of interviews with INC senior officials to air their side. A CBC news editor was also quoted, “they don’t intend to make an apology or retraction.”

INC took action and filed a lawsuit in February 2019 against CBC’s employees and the Fifth Estate participants in the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba. INC has claimed that its character and reputation have been severely injured by The Fifth Estate program’s defamatory content in the suit.

On September 23, 2020, INC brought a motion for Judgment against Liezl De Ocampo. The Honourable Madam Justice Grammond of the Court of Queen’s Bench of Manitoba heard that Motion on December 11, 2020.

On February 1, 2021, Madam Justice Grammond released her written decision on this motion, finding that:

  1. “De Ocampo made a series of comments to the CBC defendants that would tend to lower the plaintiffs’ [INC’s] reputation in the eyes of right-thinking members of society.”
  • “Since De Ocampo has not raised any defense to the claim…defamation has been established against her.“
  • The assessment of the quantum of damages to be awarded against Ms. De Ocampo ought to be deferred to trial, where “oral evidence will be presented in a detailed and comprehensive manner that will enable the trial judge to assess damages appropriately.”

INC now intends to move its defamation suit forward to trial, including against CBC, with examinations for discovery (depositions) later this year.

For more information regarding this story, please contact INC’s legal counsel Jay Prober at jayprober@gmail.com

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Re-post: Philippine Court of Appeals Strikes out Lowell Menorca II’s Raps vs INC

– February 9, 2016 – 9:00am

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals has ordered that allegations against Iglesia Ni Cristo leaders be stricken out of expelled minister Lowell Menorca II’s testimony in the writ of amparo case he filed against his former congregation.

Menorca’s allegations were “speculative, conjectural, argumentative, non-assertive of truth, have no relevance to the issues to be resolved… or opinions inadmissible as evidence,” the CA’s Seventh Division said in its ruling.

In a 42-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Victoria Isabela Paredes, the CA granted the plea in the opposition filed by INC Sanggunian or Council members Radel Cortez, Bienvenido Santiago and Rolando Esguerra  questioning entries in Menorca’s 53-page judicial affidavit.

Lowell R. Menorca II, in the middle of numerous libel, possession of grenade, adultery lawsuits, fled to Canada in March 2016 and sought Refugee Protection Status

The court specifically deleted the statement of the former minister that some of the respondents were “threatening us that the Church administration will not let us live once we get implicated with Antonio Ebanghelista,” referring to the fictitious blogger who publicly hurled allegations of anomalies against the INC leadership.

The CA has also stricken out Menorca’s statement pertaining to Manalo: “Bro. Mabasa talked to us inside our house and told us that the decision given by Bro. Eduardo Manalo was to give us another chance.”

Another piece of hearsay, the CA ruled, was Menorca’s claim that an INC official  told him that the same people who can send him to jail are the same ones who can make him disappear.

Associate Justices Magdangal de Leon and Elihu Ybanez concurred in this ruling promulgated last Jan. 13 but released only yesterday.

The respondents, through lawyer Patricia-Ann Prodigalidad, sought the deletion of the entries in Menorca’s affidavit in earlier hearings.

The CA justices have already approved the deletion of some of Menorca’ s statements, including his claim that he was “forcibly taken upon orders of the INC.” They said he “has no authority and personal knowledge” to make the claim.

The CA will continue its hearing on the amparo case on Feb.15. Menorca is expected to take the witness stand to detail his claims of abduction, harassment and illegal detention.

He was supposed to testify on Jan. 20, but was arrested on his way to the hearing over a libel case. 

Reference:


Punay, E. (2016, February 09). CA strikes out ex-minister’s raps vs INC. PhilStar Global. Retrieved December 17, 2020, from https://www.philstar.com/metro/2016/02/09/1551523/ca-strikes-out-ex-ministers-raps-vs-inc

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