Ana Theresa Licaros joins the Brian Gorell fray

Ana Theresa Licaros thinks the Brian Gorell, DJ Montano, Tim Yap, Celine Lopez and Wendy Puyat scandals is a ” Dangerous precedent.” Ana Theresa Licaros is the 2007 Bb. Pilipinas-Universe and a law student in the University of the Philippines. ABS-CBN News Online has a very detailed look at the Brian Gorell, DJ Montano, Tim Yap, Celine Lopez and Wendy Puyat scandals today, entitled ” Online libel: Aussie blogger’s victims are helpless” by Carmela Fonbuena. In it, Ana Theresa Licaros recalled her own “libelous” experiences when beauty pageant fans ridiculed her complete with her photos alongside other beauty pageant winners, calling her ‘mukhang barangay tanod.’

Dangerous precedent

Former Bb. Pilippinas Ana Theresa Licaros understands the difficulty of dealing with online libel. After she won the pageant last year, several hardcore pageant fans who were not fond of her began posting critical statements about her in online forums.

Although she recognizes that as a beauty titlist, she has become a public figure, “sadly, some of the posts are bordering on defamation,” she said.

“I found it really bothersome the way they posted my photos and compared these with other beauty pageant winners. Among the less vulgar comments they would say about her was ‘mukhang barangay tanod.’ I was knocked off for being the smart girl. They say that it’s not a quiz bee.”

Aside from currently taking up law in the University of the Philippines , Licaros also finished a broadcasting degree in the same university and graduated summa cum laude.

Licaros consulted Te, who was her professor. Licaros considered filing libel charges against her critics. She went to the extent of tracking the IP addresses of the anonymous persons critical of her. She found out that they usually use just one IP address, which means that her critics may be using an Internet connection at home or in a regular internet café.

Licaros could have asked the help of the authorities to help her track the IP address, until she decided to reconsider filing a case. “Even if I was personally hurt, I decided not to pursue a case. Although I was really tempted,” she said.

Knowing that the laws on cyberspace are still being defined, the lawyer and the media student in her feared that the “result might extend to other areas of speech that I don’t want to be curtailed.”