Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo, Jr. bared his plan to use the P15-million in damages that he expects to collect from a libel suit he filed against former speaker Pantaleon Alvarez as fund for scholars in his congressional district.
Floirendo filed before the Quezon City prosecutors several libel cases against the former House leader on Aug. 20, including the suit citing in numerous instances the imputation that the Floirendos as land-grabbers.
Floirendo said that in filing the case against Alvarez, who is also a fellow congressman from Davao del Norte, he was not suing for money, but for principle.
“On top of this, I wanted Alvarez punished for desecrating the memory of my father, Don Antonio Floirendo Sr. and for maliciously maligning the entire Floirendo family as land-grabbers,” he said.
He said that because the amount involved is big, he planned to create a foundation to manage the fund which would solely be used for poor but deserving students.
“The fund will be divided into two. Half of the money will fund scholars going to college and the other half for students wanting to study in Tesda-accredited vocational courses,” he said.