Planters Products Inc. (PPI) welcomed the indictment of former agriculture secretary Leonardo Montemayor and pledged full cooperation with government prosecutors pursuing the cyber libel case over false and damaging statements against the company.
The Office of the City Prosecutor-Makati filed the criminal information against Montemayor
following a preliminary investigation conducted as part of due process. Its October 13 joint
resolution found prima facie evidence with reasonable certainty of conviction for one count of cyber libel and two counts of oral defamation.
Prosecutors found that Montemayor’s statements accusing PPI of “engaging in unfair competition against Filipino farmers” and portraying it as a government-owned or controlled corporation were defamatory and malicious.
The resolution also stated that “Montemayor failed to present any documents which he claims to be the basis of his public declarations.”
Atty. Czarina G. Quintanilla-Raz, PPI legal counsel and spokesperson, said the company would support prosecutors in presenting evidence and pursuing accountability through the courts.
She rejected Montemayor’s portrayal of the case as persecution, saying the issue concerned truth and falsehood. Accusations against a private company must be supported by evidence, she said.
“How can a former Secretary of Agriculture, who should fully understand the distinction between government regulation and private corporate operations, repeatedly advance accusations that seemingly ignore that very distinction?” she asked.
PPI criticized Montemayor, who previously sat as ex-officio chairman of the company, for using the legal proceedings to gain sympathy while avoiding the central issue of whether his accusations were supported by facts and evidence.
Quintanilla-Raz also stressed that making unfounded, defamatory accusations carries legal consequences, regardless of a person’s former government position.
“Freedom of expression does not give anyone the right to make defamatory statements or present unsupported allegations as established facts,” Quintanilla-Raz said.
Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 148 ordered Montemayor’s arrest on October 26. He has since posted bail. His arraignment is scheduled for November 24.
Quintanilla-Raz stressed that PPI is a private corporation, separate from the Department of Agriculture, and that regulatory oversight does not confer control over business decisions.
