Republic of the Philippines

Department of Justice
National Prosecution Service
OFFICE OF THE PROVINCIAL PROSECUTOR
Malaybalay City, Bukidnon

ANDREW C. GURREA, NPS DOCKET NO. X-01-INV-

Complainants, 18-E-00005

-against- FOR: ORAL DEFAMATION

RUTH GURREA TAAL

Respondents.
X----------------------------------------------------X

COUNTER-AFFIDAVIT
OF RUTH GURREA TAAL

This is the Judicial Affidavit of RUTH G. TAAL, the respondent

is being executed to serve as his counter- affidavit in the above-
entitled case.

LEGEND: Q- Question, A- Answer

1. Q: Do you swear to tell the truth and nothing but the

truth?
A: Yes, I do.

2. Q: Will you swear under oath that you are answering the
questions asked of you honestly and truthfully and that
you may face criminal liability for false testimony or
perjury if you will do otherwise?
A: Yes, I am.

3. Q: Please state your name and other personal

circumstances?
A: I, RUTH G. TAAL, of legal age, Filipino, widow, a
pharmacist by profession and a resident of Lot 10, Block 4,
Scions Elite Subdivision, Kauswagan, Cagayan de Oro
City.

4. Q: Please state your reason in executing this Counter-

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 affidavit?
A: I am executing this counter-affidavit because I am the
respondent in the NPS DOCKETNO. X-01-INV-18-E-00005
for allegedly defaming in public the herein complainant,
now pending for investigation before the Office of the
Provincial Prosecutor of Bukidnon.

6. Q: What can you say about the charges against you?

A: I vehemently deny the accusations hurled against me for
being malicious, baseless, half- truths and conclusions not
founded on truth and facts. The allegations stated in their
respective affidavits are clearly very selective with the
clear intent to mislead this Honorable Office by omitting
important events and circumstances arising out of the
incident.

5. Q: Can you narrate what exactly happened on the fateful

day of July 19, 2017?
A: The truth on the matter being that sometime on September
2, 2016, I filed before the Katarungang Pambarangay of
Barangay San Roque, Maramag, Bukidnon, against
Ronaldo Gurrea, complainant’s father, for the recovery of
a parcel of land which is my share as inheritance from my
parents’ estate consisting of more or less 3.25 hectares of
titled land.

6. Q: What happened next, if any?

A: On September 6, 2016, the mediation took place and
attending the same are exclusively members of our family.
Contrary to the claims of Demetrio Siblante and Ramonito
Caday in their respective affidavits that they heard me
defame the herein complainant is untrue because it would
be impossible to have heard of it on the simple reason that
they are not around during the KP mediation proceedings.

7. Q: What happened next, if any?

A: During the mediation, I asked for a copy of the Deed of Sale
and its supporting documents purportedly signed by me.
However, Mr. Ronaldo Gurrea refused to give me a copy
of the said documents. To support his father, herein
complainant stood up, banged his fist on the chair, stared
at me and yelled at his father to never give a copy of the
said documents. It his highly improper for them to not
allow me have a copy thereof or at least have a peek of the
same considering that I am a party to the alleged sale
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 transaction. This only manifest that these documents are
fabricated and my signatures are forged.

8. Q: What was your reaction when the complainant did what

he did?
A: For his unruly and disrespectful behavior during that time
and his threats and his insulting, offensive and gross text
messages against me which happened sometime in August
2016, I was so anxious, disheartened and very emotional
and have no other word to utter to express my feelings but
the term adik

9. Q: Do you have any evidence of the said text messages?

A: Yes, I have with me an Extraction Report issued by the Anti-
Cybercrime Group of the Philippine National Police.

10. Q: I will attach the said Extraction report as Annex will you
confer with me?
A: Yes.

11. Q: What can you say about the supporting affidavits

executed by Simblante and Caday?
A: The supporting affidavits they respectfully executed are
also untrue because it would be impossible for them to know
what exactly transpired during the mediation on the simple
reason that they are not around during the proceedings.

12. Q: Do you have any proof that they are not around during
the Katararungang Pambarangay mediation?
A: Yes, I have with me a Certification issued by the Office of
the Punong Barangay of San Roque attesting who are present during
the mediation and the names of Simblante and Caday are not therein..

13. Q: I will attach the said Certification, will you confer to that?

A: Yes, I am.

14. Q: Do you have any evidence to support your defense?

A: Yes, I have with me the respective affidavits of Mary Coleen
T. Maghuyop and Dominador A. Famador.

15. Q: Is there anything else that you would like to say?

A: The use of the term adik was merely an expression which is
now widely used and does not, in any manner, impute

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 upon the herein complainant any crime, vice or defect.
Also, I firmly and honestly believed in good faith that the
proceedings before the Katarungang Pambarangay is part
of privileged communication and cannot be used against
me. Also, the motive of the complainant is to harass me
and a means of retaliation for the case I have filed against
him thinking that this would intimidate me and just give
up.

16. Q: What reliefs are you asking from the Honorable Office of
the Prosecutor?
A: I respectfully implore this Honorable Office to have the
case against me for the above charged offense of oral
defamation be DISMISSED for having no sufficient
evidence enough to come up with probable cause and for
whatever legal purpose this may serve.

AFFIANT FURTHER SAYETH NAUGHT.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have affixed my signature this 3rd

day of March 2018 at Malaybalay City, Bukidnon, Philippines.

RUTH GURREA TAAL

Respondent

SUBSCRIBED AND SWORN to before me this ____________

day of March 201 in Malaybalay City. I further certify that I have
personally examined the affiant and that I am satisfied that he
understood his affidavit and that the same is his free act and deed.

Doc. No. ______;

Page No. ______;
Book No.______;
Series of 2018.

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