Apologia DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/05/2010

Apologia

DIE HARD III Herman Tiu Laurel 05/05/2010 The Daily Tribune, its editor-in-chief, and its columnist Herman Tiu-Laurel, wish to express their apology to the Manila North Tollways Corp. (MNTC), its then chairman, Oscar M. Lopez, and its then president and chief executive officer, Jose P. de Jesus, over two opinion column articles written by Tiu-Laurel in March 2005. These articles of Tiu-Laurel published in The Daily Tribune are: “The ‘Velociraptors’ of MNTC” published in the March 11, 2005 issue, and “Lopezes and MNTC: Lying Gangsters” published in the March 19, 2005 issue of the paper. The Daily Tribune and its editor-in-chief, Ninez Cacho-Olivares, while taking partial responsibility for the publication of Tiu-Laurel’s two opinion columns, believed at that time that Tiu-Laurel would not recklessly disregard the truth in the two articles. It is the paper and its editor-in-chief’s position that Tiu-Laurel exercised press freedom when he wrote those columns. However, Messrs. Lopez and De Jesus and MNTC are of the mind that we went beyond the law and constitution when we published the articles, which opinion we do not contest. We apologize to Messrs. Lopez and De Jesus as well as the MNTC for the pain suffered by them arising from these two column articles and for the mis-impressions the Tiu-Laurel columns have publicly generated. The Daily Tribune and its editor-in-chief note with approval the operational efficiency and the excellent service rendered by MNTC in the NLEX for the last five years, setting an unprecedented standard for all future Philippine toll roads. We admit that these manifestations of efficiency as to corporate responsibilities are additional basis to state that Tiu-Laurel must have erred in both columns with regard to Messrs. Lopez and De Jesus and the MNTC. This is therefore by way of apology for the mistaken opinions of Tiu-Laurel.....  (Reprinted with permission from Mr. Herman Tiu-Laurel) Source:  The Daily Tribune URL: http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20100505com5.html

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