Volume 8, Issue No. 12
OPINION/COMMENTARY
/ News That Fears None, Views That Favor Nobody /
. . . . . A community service of The Filipino Web Channel (TheFilipinoWebChannel@gmail. com) and the Philippine Village Voice (PhilVoiceNews@gmail.com) for the information and understanding of Filipinos and the diverse communities in North America . . . .
Our latest as of Thursday, September 3, 2026
~ To satisfy an appeal court judgement awarding businesswoman Liwayway Miranda damages to the tune of nearly half-a-million dollars, her lawyers would conduct an examination of the finances and assets of defendant Teresita "Tess" Cusipag who was found liable for defamation. Since the court upheld in March an earlier Superior Court decision, not a dime has been made to compensate Ms. Miranda. This latest development tightens a squeeze on her to pay up.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
EXAMINATION INCLUDES TESS CUSIPAG
Lawyers to Dig Into Finances, Assets of Balita Tabloid
By ROMEO P. MARQUEZ
Editor, The Filipino Web Channel
"Misery is the company of lawsuits." - Francois Rabelais
TORONTO - Lawyers might have to do some digging into Balita publisher Teresita "Tess" Cusipag's financial situation and assets as part of an effort to determine sources that may be available to satisfy an appeal court decision ordering her to pay nearly half-a-million dollars for defaming businesswoman Liwayway Miranda.
A Notice of Examination is expected to be served on Ms. Cusipag in the next few days, Ms. Miranda's lawyers said on Wednesday, Sept. 2.
(Full background story:
The process would require her to attend an "examination in aid of execution" where she must answer questions about her finances, income, bank accounts, property, and business interests.
"The purpose is to identify where recovery can realistically be pursued," lawyers for Ms. Miranda said.
"If we identify wages, bank accounts, business receivables, or other money owed to the defendant, we can pursue garnishment.
"If we identify real estate or personal property, we can take steps through the sheriff to seize and sell assets where appropriate," lawyers explained.
Six months have elapsed since the Court of Appeal for Ontario rejected Ms. Cusipag's appeal, instead upholding Superior Court Justice R. Lee Akazaki's decision finding her and Balita liable for defamation and awarding Ms. Miranda damages.
From the time the appeal decision was handed down in March, there is no indication that Ms. Cusipag, a self-declared "millionaire," obeyed the order. She has stayed silent since.
(Related story:
The defamation lawsuit brought by Ms. Miranda is the fifth such case against Ms. Cusipag and the fortnightly Balita tabloid she publishes and edits.
In those five suits, she lost three (the latest is Ms. Miranda's) and the other two were dismissed. In each of the three, she was ordered to compensate her accusers nearly half-a-million dollar each.
In June 2017, she was also sentenced to 21 days in jail but released after serving 13 days after Superior Court Justice Frederick L. Myers had found her guilty of criminal contempt of court.
Related story:
Related video:
Her record of being a defendant in several lawsuits appear to validate a lawyer's observation that Ms. Cusipag and the tabloid are "repeat offenders" who have shown, in the lawyer's words, "a consistent practice of publishing false allegations of fraud against reputable individuals."
Justice Akazaki echoed a similar observation. He said "Balita misused its position as a popular publication in the Filipino community as a bully pulpit to inflict harm to Ms. Miranda’s reputation."
Ms. Cusipag was not immediately available for comment. But she's welcome to issue a statement related to the issue. (Copyright 2026. All Rights Reserved).
