JERRY OLEA
Hindi magpa-file ng legal action ang counsel ni Janno Gibbs na Kapunan & Castillo Law Offices sa mga nagpakalat ng sworn statement ni Janno, at video ng ama nitong si Ronaldo Valdez matapos itong matagpuan sa crime scene.
Read: Janno Gibbs asks for public apology over mishandling of investigation of dad Ronaldo Valdez's death
“This is a call for vigilance,” pahayag ng abogada ni Janno na si Atty Lorna Patajo-Kapunan sa mediacon nitong Enero 15, 2024, Lunes ng hapon, sa Club Filipino ng Greenhills, San Juan City.
“For vigilance of all of us who have lost dignity, who have lost the right to privacy.
“And napakasakit po. Wala nang… Have we forgotten to be kind? Have we forgotten to be decent human beings? Yun lang naman po ang sinasabi ng pamilya.
“At the expense of clickbaits, at the expense of hot news, at the expense of media. Where does decency… in the media, not only you guys, but in social media… where has it gone?
“And panawagan din ito sa investigating officers. Dapat kasama kayo dito. Dapat hindi kayo ang kalaban.
“Kung ngayon, kayo pa ang kalaban, kayo pa ang nag-a-aggravate ng situation, hindi naman po sana. Hindi naman po ata tama.
“At panawagan din sana ito sa mga mambabatas natin. Na tingnan natin. Patibayan natin ang crimes of electronic media. Patibayan natin ang right to privacy.
“At iklaro natin, ano ba ang function ng isang investigating agency? Especially those who are resposible for thoroughly investigating the crime scene.
“Masaklap, pati yung slug ng baril, hindi nakita. And I understand, ni walang gloves. Walang gloves yung nag-investigate, 'no?
“They were handling the weapon without gloves. Not only that, in the data gathering, pag nag-file ng kaso… e, damaged na yung evidence.
“So, panawagan din ito sa mga investigating… I’ve been a practicing lawyer for many, many years. And talagang problema ang investigating process.
“Walang nako-convict na tama, kasi palpak ang investigation. So, panawagan din ito.”
Read: How Ronaldo Valdez's death talks to us of the need for respect and compassion
Janno Gibbs and Atty. Lorna Patajo-Kapunan
So, public apology lang ang hiling ng pamilya ni Janno sa mga pulis, at hindi nila kakasuhan ang mga ito.
E, iyong mga vlogger na nagpakalat ng fake news at paninira kay Janno, hahayaan na rin lang nila?
Napabuntong-hininga si Janno bago sumagot, “Personally, we want to. Pero andami, e. Napakadami!
“Sa dami nun at most of them are anonymous, di ba? I understand, yung iba, nasa ibang bansa pa. So, medyo mahirap.
“As much as we want to, mahirap. Mahirap. masarap sanang masampulan man lang yung isa.”
NOEL FERRER
Sino ba sa kapulisan ang inaasahan ng pamilya ni Janno Gibbs na mag-public apology kaugnay sa mishandling ng investigation sa suicide ni Ronaldo Valdez?
Iyon bang Quezon City Police District, o ang PNP as a whole?
Sagot ng legal counsel ni Janno na si Atty. Kapunan, “I think kung directly responsible is the investigating officers, 'no?
“At saka yung under the doctrine of responsibility, e, hindi lang yung actual police. Hindi lang iyung actual unit.
“Actually kasama na dapat diyan ang DOJ, kaama na rin diyan. Now is the time to see nga yung chain of command. Di ba?
“Kasi, ang problema dito sa mga high-profile cases, naghahanap sila ng mga lower-ranking subordinates.
“But the doctrine is command responsibility. Sa Criminal Law, merong tinatawag na command responsibility. If you are the superior, you are also liable.
“So, kung ang question is sino dapat ang mag-apologize, siguro hindi lang iyung sinasabi na investigating officers.
“Kasi tatlo ang pangalan na nakalagay sa report. Siguro yung superiors nila should apologize because under the doctrine of command responsibility, they are equally liable for the acts of their subordinates.
“So, the same way na kinalat ang video na iyan on the same day, it must be with the same prominence na mag-apologize sila.
“Kung kinalat nila ang video sa public, o nag-leak sila ng video… with the same prominence, the apology must be as public and as widespread.
“And sincere apology yan. Kasi, wala pa tayong… December 17 yun, magwa-one month pa lang, e, andami-dami nang umiikot.
“And the family is still being harassed, 'no. Pinapapunta sa station para kumuha ng kopya ng report. E, nagbigay na ng Viber report.
“Mga ganyan, small things na… why are they doing this? Are they hungry for media attention?
“Minsan ganyan kasi sa… hindi naman po lahat ng pulis, ganun. Pero merong… dapat weeding out na rin.”
GORGY RULA
Nai-report agad sa 24 Oras newscast sa GMA nitong Lunes ng gabi ang public apology ng QCPD sa Gibbs Family kaugnay sa Unauthorized Circulation ng Video Footage ni Ronaldo Gibbs.
Narito ang kabuuan ng kanilang paghingi ng paumanhin:
“The QCPD extends its sincere apologies to the Gibbs family regarding the recent incident where a member of our police force inappropriately took a video of the late Mr. Ronaldo Valdez. We acknowledge the gravity of this lapse in judgment of some of our personnel, and we deeply regret any distress this may have caused.
“Rest assured, that swift and decisive action is being undertaken. The involved personnel will face appropriate administrative charges for their actions. We want to emphasize that this behavior is not reflective of the values we uphold in QCPD.
“Consequently, five (5) police officers involved will face a range of administrative charges, including Neglect of Duty; Grave Irregularity in the Performance of Duty, Grave Misconduct in relation to R.A. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012), Conduct Unbecoming of a Police Officer, and Grave Misconduct in relation to P.D. 1829 (Obstruction of Justice), with dismissal from the service as the maximum penalty. Neglect of Duty are filed against three (3) police officers under the doctrine of command responsibility.
“Furthermore, legal actions under R.A. 10173 (Data Privacy Act of 2012) and R.A. 10175 (Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012) will be initiated against identified civilians suspected in the unauthorized dissemination of the aforementioned video.
“We assure you that such incidents will not be tolerated, and we are implementing stricter measures to prevent their recurrence.
“Meanwhile, the QCPD urges the Gibbs family to file a criminal case against those involved in the proliferation of the said video.”