Leo Lastimosa


Leo Andanar Lastimosa is a Filipino journalist. He was a former anchorman for ABS-CBN's regional television news program TV Patrol Central Visayas, former radio host of the current affairs program Arangkada on radio station DYAB, and columnist for The Freeman and Banat daily newspapers. Currently, he livestreams his news commentary in his YouTube channel.

Early life

Lastimosa is the son of a farmer and a public school teacher. Growing up in poverty in Talisay, he had a dream of becoming a writer. During high school, he decided to submit an unsolicited article to the publisher of The Freeman, a local daily in Cebu. His submission was published the next day, an event that encouraged him to pursue a journalistic career.
He earned a degree in political science at the University of San Jose-Recoletos, through a scholarship from the Ramon Aboitiz Foundation Inc.. Later, he enrolled at the University of San Carlos College of Law as a scholar, but did not proceed to finish.

Career

His professional journalism career began in 1985 at DYLA-AM. He later moved to another radio station, DYRF. During the height of the first EDSA revolution, he played a role in the newsroom operations at the radio station. In 1995, he became a news director in the newly-launched radio station, DYAB, and started hosting the regular television program, Banat Visayas, Sulong Mindanao. He claimed he had received death threats in the course of his journalistic career.
In 2003, he became an anchor for TV Patrol Central Visayas, which aired on ABS-CBN 3 Cebu. He also began writing a column called Arangkada in The Freeman, a local daily newspaper, using the Cebuano language.

Decriminalizing libel

In 2007, then Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia filed a libel case against Lastimosa. The suit alleged that Garcia was the subject of his column entitled Doling Kawatan that was published on The Freeman last June 29, 2007. On August 27, 2010, Regional Trial Court Branch 14 Judge Raphael Yrastorza signed a warrant of arrest against Lastimosa, who then posted bail. Lastimosa denied that Garcia was the subject of the article. On August 30, 2013, the court found Lastimosa guilty, and fined him ₱6,000 and an additional ₱2,000,000 for moral damages. He lost his appeal as the Court of Appeals upheld the lower court's decision. Attorney Celso Espinosa, his counsel, filed a motion for reconsideration to reverse the ruling of the appellate court.
This libel case, as well as other similar high-level cases filed against journalists in the country, prompted renewed calls to decriminalize libel in defense of press freedom.
On December 5, 2022, Lastimosa was acquitted of all charges of libel against Garcia by the Supreme Court.

CIDG subpoena

On August 17, 2018, Lastimosa appeared in the regional office of Criminal Investigation and Detection Group - Central Visayas in response to a subpoena that directed him to provide a copy of his interview with Senator Antonio Trillanes on his radio show last September 8, 2017. The subpoena came after former Davao City vice mayor Paolo Duterte, son of President Rodrigo Duterte, requested the police to obtain a copy of the interview as evidence in court for a libel case he was filing against Trillanes who accused him for being involved in Php 6.2 billion shabu shipment in 2016.
Lastimosa executed an affidavit stating that audio recordings were long deleted as radio stations were only mandated to keep the records for 10 days or 30 days when there is a court order. He also declined to authenticate a recording of the said interview presented by the CIDG.

''Give Up Tomorrow''

Lastimosa also appeared in the documentary Give Up Tomorrow alongside other journalists who were interviewed regarding the controversial conviction of Paco Laranaga, one of the suspects of the murder of the Chiong sisters in the 1990s.

Journalist in Online Media

After the shutdown of ABS-CBN, Lastimosa eventually became a news commentator in online media, independent of an established news outfit. He is among a number of journalists who are now becoming content creators. He livestreams everyday primarily in his YouTube channel. In the morning he goes live with Baruganan and in the evening with Panahum sa Kilom-Kilom.

Personal life

Aside from journalism, he also ventured into music. He penned the lyrics of Awit ni Dodong, the winning entry of the theme song contest for the Jose “Dodong” R. Gullas Halad Museum. About a lover's hopes and fears for a beloved, the song was put into music by Emilio Villareal.
Lastimosa married to practitioner Iris Jakosalem.

Awards

Lastimosa has won numerous awards and recognition for his work. Notably, the Talisay City Council passed a resolution congratulating him for his win at 2005 KBP Golden Dove Awards citing his "commendable competence, integrity and fairness in the field of newscasting and showed his dedication and deep love for his country and people by his humble service as a media man."