Kung nagde-demand ng public apology ang dating Pinoy Big Brother 737 housemate na social media influencer na ngayon na si Dawn Chang sa batikang manunulat at radio/online host na si Cristy Fermin through her lawyer, Atty. Rafael Vicente R. Calinisan, ay ganito rin ang demand ng legal counsel ni Cristy na si Atty. Ferdinand Topacio.
Nag-ugat ang lahat nang magkomento si Dawn Chang sa nagbitiw na host ng Pinoy Big Brother for 16 years na si Toni Gonzaga na may kinalaman sa political choices nito at kabilang na rin sa pag-i-introduce nito kay Rep. Dante Marcoleta sa proclamation rally ng UniTeam noong February 8.
Puna at usig ni Dawn kay Toni, na pinost niya sa kanyang Instagram account nitong Pebrero 9:
“It’s my greatest honor to verbalize what other people cannot say: I am deeply insulted and disappointed by the actions of my fellow kapamilya actress Ms. Toni Gonzaga. Paano n’yo po nasikmurang suportahan at tulungan ang mga taong may malupit na nakaraan sa kasaysayan ng bansa at sa pagkawala ng trabaho ng mga kasama natin sa industriya?
“As a former PBB housemate, alam kong magtatampo nyan si Kuya.
“I cannot remain quiet. Alam ng lahat ng artista na mas "safe" ang manahimik na lamang. Pero hindi ko po kaya. Hindi pwede. It is my privilege to lend my small voice in this battle for the soul of our country. Kaya sa aking mga kapwa Pilipino, kay @bise_leni @lenirobredo po ang suporta ko. Hindi po ako binayaran dito.
“If this is my biggest fight, then I will forever cherish standing up to what I believe in. Hindi po pera pera. Heto po ay laban ng prinsipyo. I want for all of us to say "Hello" to a better Philippines.
“Today, and always, I pray for everyone's guidance. May He send us His true guardian angels.
“I will forever fight the good fight with all of my true kapamilyas and the Filipino people. #angatbuhaylahat
Kinabukasan, sa February 10, episode ng Cristy Ferminute ay tinalakay nina Cristy at ng co-host niyang si Romel Chika ang komentong ito ni Dawn Chang kay Toni kasabay ng pagpuna niya sa dating PBB Housemate.
“Alam mo raw kung sino na pa-righteous at sikat nitong Dawn Chang? Di ba, ’yun ’yung dancer? Iyan ’yung dancer,” panimula ng beteranang showbiz writer.
“Dancer iyan na nasa ano dati, sa lunchtime show nila. Itong si Dawn Chang, kaya nagkakaroon ng mga trabaho iyan, alam na alam sa ABS…
“Ako, Dawn Chang, gusto mong ibulgar ko kung ba’t ka nagkakaroon ng trabaho?
“E, pa-bash-bash ka pa, ikaw ang dapat i-bash, dahil wala kang mararating kung di ka nakikipaglandian sa mga boss, naku, ha.
“Dawn Chang, tumigil ka nga. Dawn Chang me. Charot!”
Hindi ito nagustuhan ng PBB alumna-turned-social media influencer. At pinalagan niya ito sa pamamagitan ng kanyang na si Atty. Calinisan at nagpa-public statement sila na magsasampa sila ng kaso laban kay Cristy kapag hindi ito nag-public apology.
Ani Atty. Calinisan, character assassination umano ang mga binitiwan ni Cristy tungkol sa kanyang kliyente. Tinawag din niyang panay kasinungalingan umano ang mga pinagsasabi nito sa kanyang online show ukol kay Dawn Chang. Kaya’t hindi umano sila magpapatumpik-tumpik na ihabla ito kapag hindi tinupad at demand nilang public apology.
“Our client will never be cowed by cowards like you who resort to character assassination just to perpetuate a wrong,” saad ni Atty. Calinisan sa statement.
Hamon at banta pa niya kay Cristy: “Pangalanan mo yung mga ‘boss ng ABS-CBN’ na ‘nakipaglandian’ sa aming kliyente.
“Because of your malicious imputations, we assure you, we will send you to jail.”
Bukod sa banta ay may dagdag-kondisyon pa si Atty. Calinisan na ang public apology daw ay dapat ilathala sa isang "full-page ad" sa mga leading national broadsheets.
Bahagi rin ng statement ang pagbibigay niya ng deadline sa hinihinging public apology na hanggang midnight of 16 February 2022 (Wednesday).”
“Failure to do so will constrain us to pursue CRIMINAL, CIVIL, and even ADMINISTRATIVE actions against you.”
Pero hindi na ito hinintay ng abogado ni Cristy na si Atty. Topacio dahil kaagad niyang sinagot ang liham ni Atty. Calinisan at nagde-demand din siya ng public apology dahil sa pagtawag nito ng “coward,” “liar” at iba pa sa beteranang manunulat.
Sa kopya ng demand letter na na-obtain ng pikapika.ph, pinuna rin ni Atty. Topacio ang banta ni Atty. Calinisan na ipakukulong nila si Cristy Fermin kapag hindi ito nag-public apology dahil unbecoming daw ang actuations na ito sa part ni Calinisan bilang abugado.
Ang demand letter ni Atty. Topacio, addressed to Atty. Calinisan reads:
“Dear Atty. Calinisan:
“Our client, Ms. CRISTINELLI SALAZAR FERMIN, a.k.a. Cristy Fermin, has referred to us your undated “statement” released to media, which we take as an open letter of demand, for her to make a public apology in relation to utterances made regarding your client, a certain Dawn Chang, who appears to be a dancer and show business personality.
“Ms. Fermin will respond to your demand in due time, and also publicly. We write this letter, however, to make a demand of our own, regarding some statements made by you as lawyer of Ms. Chang.
“In your signed public statement – shorn of irrelevant discourses -- you called our client a ‘coward’ and a liar, saying that her statements are ‘nakakahiya’, using the word ‘gutter’ to describe Ms. Fermin, describing her expressions as ‘malaking kabastusan.’ Worse, you strongly implied that you have control of the Philippine justice system when you bragged that ‘we assure you, we will send you to jail.’
“I need not quote to you the specific provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility that you have violated by using undignified and intemperate language unbecoming of a member of the legal profession in your exercise thereof, and in undermining the confidence of the public in the impartiality of our justice system. While a lawyer owes his client zeal in the protection of his or her rights, such zealousness must not outrun the bounds of decency and tread on the territory of the impertinent and contumelious. Regardless of your personal offense at what you may feel are libelous words against your clients, you, as a lawyer, still has the bounden duty to comport yourself in a manner consistent with legal ethics and the proper conduct of a lawyer.
“It is ironic that while you complain against libel allegedly having been committed against your client, you have committed the same crime against ours.”
At dahil doon, sila raw ang mas may karapatang humingi ng public apology mula sa abugado ni dawn Chang. Nagbigay din sila ng deadline—same date na “midnight of 16 February”—para makapag-public apology sa kanyang kliyente. Unlike Atty. Calinisan, hindi na sila humiling na i-publish pa as a “full-page ad” sa mga newspapers ang apology. Simpleng sulat lang daw, na ibabahagi nila sa media, ay sapat na.
“Therefore, let us be the one to give you, Atty. Rafael Vicente R. Calinisan, a deadline of until midnight of 16 February 2022, within which to PUBLICLY APOLOGIZE to our client who, it cannot be denied, is already considered an icon in the field of entertainment media, and who has been a writer and radio and television personality for several decades.
“Unlike you, however, we do not demand the publication of your apology in a full-page ad in any newspaper. We simply demand a letter of apology from you, which you and she may share with media.”
Kapag sila naman daw ang hindi nag-comply ay magpa-file din sila ng “proper criminal, civil and administrative complaints before the proper courts and the Committee on Bar Discipline” laban sa abugado ni Dawn Chang.
“Your failure to do so within the time given by us will leave us no choice but to file against you the proper criminal, civil and administrative complaints before the proper courts and the Committee on Bar Discipline. It would be to your best interests to heed this demand.”
YOU MAY ALSO LIKE:
Former PBB housemate Dionne Monsanto, may patutsada rin kay Toni Gonzaga
FOLLOW US ONLINE:
Facebook: facebook.com/pikapikashowbiz
Twitter: twitter.com/pikapikaph
Instagram: instagram.com/pikapikaph/
YouTube: youtube.com/pikapikashowbiz
TikTok: https://vt.tiktok.com/ZGJBapkV4/
and join our Viber Community: tinyurl.com/PikaViber
