ONION-SKINNED: The famous short temper of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo must have infected bureaucrats down the line. Some of them have become irritable and onion-skinned like the President.

An official of the Philippine Ports Authority who was mentioned in a website as one of the officials against whom complaints related to the Batangas Port had been filed with the Ombudsman has filed a harassment libel suit against the website owner.

The website was what is now MaritimeWatchkeeper.ph and its owner is Vicente F. Gambito, 63, an authority on maritime affairs who often speaks out on inefficiencies and alleged corruption in port management and proposes solutions.

Gambito quoted, without comment, from a complaint-letter of PPA workers mentioning PPA general manager Alfonso Cusi, department manager Efren Bollozos and two others who, according to the workers, “conceived of a plot to make money out of this miserable road condition.”

The road in question is a temporary two-lane 1.9-kilometer asphalt road in the Batangas port area that was to be built at an original estimated cost of P16 million. Port authorities changed the plans, made it four-lane, of reinforced concrete, and added middle islands and lighting at a reported cost of P66 million (PPA estimate: P41.2 million).

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HARASSMENT SUIT: The same letter was sent by taxpayer Ariel T. Lim to the Ombudsman asking for an urgent investigation because the controversial road was, he said, about to be removed in the ongoing modernization of port facilities. That would destroy the alleged evidence.

Instead of suing Gambito in Manila as required by the Revised Penal Code, Bollozos filed suit in far-away Ozamis City, obviously to harass the accused who would have to fly from his Makati residence/office to Cebu and take an overnight boat ride to Ozamis and then come home via the same circuitous route.

A long time ago, anybody who felt wronged by a publication could sue anywhere in the archipelago where the newspaper/medium was read. There were reported cases of newsmen going to some remote town in the hinterlands who somehow got lost in transit.

Vanishing into nowhere was among the hazards of having to attend libel hearings in god-forsaken places.

Fortunately, Congress later found it proper to amend the penal code to require that libel suits be filed only in one of three possible venues: (1) in the place where the publication first saw print or where the paper is published, or (2) where the complainant resides, or (3) in Manila if the complainant is a government official holding office in Manila.

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WRONG VENUE: Since Bollozos as a PPA department head holds office in Port Area, Manila, the correct venue for his suit is the Manila Regional Trial Court or the first place of publication which is also Manila. But he sued in Ozamis.

We hope city prosecutor Geronimo Marave Jr., who handled the preliminary investigation and filed the case in the Ozamis court, was just ignorant of the law and not in collusion with the complainant.

We have the same misgiving with the judge who issued an arrest warrant against Gambito after taking cognizance of the charges filed by the prosecutor despite the court’s lack of jurisdiction.

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NAUGHTY AD: Not content with the harassment, persons presumably connected with the PPA caused the publication of a news item/ad in a newspaper (not the STAR) with an ugly picture of Gambito saying that the man is wanted for a crime and any information on his whereabouts must be relayed to the authorities.

The malicious publication did not mention that it was a mere libel suit, thereby giving the impression that Gambito was running away from prosecution of a despicable crime.

In fact, all the while that Bollozos, the prosecutor and the judge in Ozamis were cooking his goose, Gambito was totally unaware that there was a criminal complaint filed against him. He learned about it only when he read the “Wanted” news item.

We find it strange that the prosecutor was able to complete his preliminary investigation and arrived at a judgmental conclusion when he did not even hear the side of Gambito, much less see the man before him or talk to him.

Is this now the process under the Strong Republic?

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MARITIME WATCHER: When we say that Gambito is a maritime authority, we have in mind the fact that he has served as president of the Conference of Interisland Shipowners and Operators (CISO), vice president of Sulpicio Lines, and president of the United Trampers Association of the Philippines.

He is known in the industry as very persistent and dedicated when he champions an issue. He does not let go of the issues and even digs deeper to get to the bottom of each issue he champions.

The Batangas road mentioned in MaritimeWatchkeeper had also been the subject of some of our past columns. Contrary to the denials of officials ensconced in the air-conditioned main office of the PPA, that road will be removed as we said in this column.

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JAPAN UPS PRESENCE: If Iraqi guerrillas think that their ferocious attacks on allies of the United States helping keep the peace in that war-torn country will scare them away, they have another think coming. Or so it seems.

Japan, a key ally that has had personnel killed in Iraq, has decided to deploy ground troops to join the American forces.

After months of agonizing over the gunning down of two Japanese diplomats in northern Iraq, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi’s Cabinet approved a plan to send up to 600 ground troops to southeastern Iraq for six month to one year.

Although non-combatants, the troops will be the most heavily armed since Japan began sending its forces overseas a decade ago. They will focus on humanitarian work, including establishing water and medical services, and rebuilding schools and infrastructure.

Koizumi explained the situation in Iraq was “severe,” but that Japan’s Self-Defense Forces must “fulfill this mission.” There is widespread opposition among Japanese to their heightened military involvement.

Japan’s move is a big diplomatic victory for the US. It amounts to an imprimatur by war-renouncing Japan of allied invasion and occupation of Iraq.

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PINOYS STAYING ON: The “stay on” move of US allies has been echoed in Manila.

Foreign Secretary Blas F. Ople said the recent terrorist attacks in several Middle East countries would not deter the Philippines from carrying out its mission in Iraq.

Ambassador Roy A. Cimatu, on special assignment to the Middle East, said the Inter-Agency Task Force on Humanitarian Assistance to Iraq is working out the maintenance of the Philippine contingent in that country.

He said that since only 96 peacekeepers and social workers have been deployed out of the 178 members earlier committed by Manila, the government would be able to extend the their stay until August 2004.

“The directive given to the contingent is for them to stay there,” he said. “The money that was given to them was only for six months or until February. We hope the United Nations will take over then it will be beneficial to us.”

If the UN will not shoulder the expenses of the Philippine contingent, he said the task force would continue giving the $500 monthly allowance of every soldier while the US would provide the food and other logistical requirements.