GR L 6465; (January, 1955) (Digest)
G.R. No. L-6465; January 31, 1955
NORBERTO QUISUMBING, petitioner-appellant, vs. EUGENIO LOPEZ, ET AL., respondents-appellees.
FACTS
The respondents are the publisher, editor-in-chief, and general manager of The Manila Chronicle. The petitioner, Norberto Quisumbing, filed a complaint for damages alleging libel due to a publication in the newspaper on November 7, 1947. The article, headlined “NBI MEN RAID OFFICES OF 3 CITY USURERS,” reported that NBI agents raided the business offices of three alleged money lenders, including the petitioner, following a complaint and that criminal action would soon be filed. The Court of First Instance of Manila dismissed the complaint, and the Court of Appeals affirmed the dismissal. The petitioner appealed to the Supreme Court, arguing that while the body of the article was a privileged report of an official proceeding, the headline was libelous per se as it branded him a “usurer” when no criminal charge for usury had been filed against him in court.
ISSUE
Whether the headline “NBI MEN RAID OFFICES OF 3 CITY USURERS,” considered together with the body of the article, constitutes libel against the petitioner.
RULING
The Supreme Court affirmed the decision of the Court of Appeals, holding that the publication was not libelous. The Court ruled that the article, including the headline, must be construed as a whole. When read entirely, the news item was a fair, impartial, and true report of an official proceeding by the NBI Anti-Usury Division. The headline was a correct description of the news story, as the raid was conducted by anti-usury agents following a complaint, and the context did not suggest the petitioner was already charged or convicted of usury. The word “usurer” simply means one who practices usury or a money lender, not a convict. The Court found no evidence of malice, and the publication was made in good faith with a sense of public duty. The newspapers are entitled to leeway and tolerance in performing their role, provided they act in good faith and with reasonable care.