ILIGAN CITY (MindaNews/20 Apr) – Albert Loyola, the broadcaster from DXRJ jailed for libel, gained his temporary freedom Tuesday afternoon after the National Union of Journalist of the Philippines (NUJP) paid the P10,000 bail bond.
Judge Leonor S. Quiñones, of Regional Trial Court Branch 6, issued Loyola’s release order.
The broadcaster walked out of the Iligan Reformatory Center around 4:30 p.m. after confirmation of the release order by Senior Jail Inspector Albert A. Jalagat, the city jail warden.
Loyola was accompanied by his counsel, lawyer Vermin Quimco of the Call For Justice, a non-government organization based in Iligan City that provides free legal assistance to poor but deserving clients.
Loyola was arrested by virtue of a complaint filed by City Councilor Chonilo Ruiz, whom the broadcaster called a liar in his accusations of funds misuse. In January last year, Ruiz barged into DXRJ’s announcer’s booth and punched Loyola as the latter was anchoring a radio program. The attack was heard by radio listeners.
The broadcaster said he was surprised when he was arrested last Monday and had thus not brought any personal belongings to jail. But his inmates, some of them avid listeners, lent him a T-shirt, shorts and gave him a toothbrush and toothpaste.
“They were so kind to me. They also shared their experiences why they are in jail,” Loyola said.
The broadcaster thanked NUJP for assisting him in raising money for the bail bond.
Rowena Carranza-Paraan, NUJP secretary-general, said that Loyola’s detention is a form of intimidation. She also noted that Ruiz’s attack on the broadcaster inside the announcer’s booth “has a chilling effect among media practitioners and this should not happen again.” (MindaNews)