THE Department of Justice yesterday revived a four-year-old libel case against Lingayen- Dagupan Archbishop Oscar Cruz filed by 17 employees of the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) whom the prelate had described as "pitiful GROs" after they were supposedly forced to entertain Jose Miguel Arroyo and his friends during his birthday in 2004. A GRO is a guest relations officer.

In a nine-page decision, Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez reversed on review an initial finding of prosecutors that dismissed the libel complaint filed by the 17 Pagcor employees and three employed under the Office of the First Gentleman, who felt alluded in Cruz’s article that came out in Malaya and other broadsheets and tabloids.

Gonzalez said Cruz "acted with reckless disregard" as he did not conduct an inquiry on the veracity of the information he received.

He said that under contemporary cultural standards, the word GRO has become synonymous and used sparingly or alternately with the words "hostess, bar girl and prostitutes."

"That the word ‘pitiful’ was added thereto did not in anyway remove the defamatory character that the term ‘GRO’ connotes," the DOJ resolution stated.

The resolution said that even assuming that the respondent has good motives and justifiable ends in causing the publication of article, it does not mean that it is not actionable since it is but a matter of defense.

It said the unnecessary publicity "destroyed whatever good faith and good motives or justifiable ends respondent had."

"The fact is, the element of malice is apparent when respondent sent via fax many copies of the subject article to the various members of the press. His claim of good intention should be considered overturned by the element of malice which is manifest in the manner by which he maliciously identified complainants as GROs and the intense publication generated by the article. This is both malice in law and malice in fact," said Gonzalez.

On June 28, 2004, complainants alleged that Cruz wrote a one-page article entitled "Sad and Saddening," copies of which were transmitted to the media by telefax.