The webmaster whose website severely criticized Indonesia’s intrusion in East Timor gets the support of a consumer group in his legal battle with the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co.(PLDT), the country’s largest telecommunications carrier. The Philippine League for Democratic Telecommunications Inc.(PLDTI), a consumer group the PLDT dragged along webmaster Gerardo Kaimo in the country ’s landmark case involving the use of web sites, filed a countersuit against the country’s erstwhile telecom monolith demanding P100 million in damages.  The countersuit was in response to PLDT’s allegations that PLDTI and Kaimo were engaging in unlawful use of trade name and unfair competition, a charge the consumer group vehemently denied. The web site, www.pldt.com, has stood up to PLDT on consumer – protection issues such as phone metering and has involved itself in political issues such as East Timor. In one of its past editions, the website severely criticized Indonesia’s alleged terrorism in the islands of East Timor. PLDT is owned by First Pacific Corp., a member of Salim group of companies, whose majority owner Liem Sioe Liong is a long time friend of Indonesia’s patriarch Suharto. PLDTI, in a countersuit it filed against the Philippines’ telecom giant, said its inclusion in PLDT’s website suit was "malicious" and constituted gross negligence , if not wanton bad faith . The said website is the subject of litigation in the PLDT’s case, which co-named Mr. Gerardo Kaimo, an Incorporator and trustee in PLDTI. PLDTI sought P100 million in damages against PLDT in a countersuit it filed before Branch 90 of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court. Lawyer Rod Domingo, legal counsel for PLDTI, claimed that Kaimo has publicly admitted he is the sole registrant of the pldt.com domain, and the sole creator and webmaster (along with assistant personnel) of the www.pldt.com website. "While PLDTI is completely behind Mr. Kaimo with moral support in this case, PLDT is clearly and utterly unwarranted in naming PLDTI as a co-defendant as PLDTI has had no involvement whatsoever with either the domain name or website in question," the PLDT said in a statement released to the media. It further said that it "shares the arguments and positions Mr. Kaimo holds in his defense against PLDT." In its countersuit against the telecom giant, PLDTI asked the court to dismiss the case against itself, and also asked for 50 million in moral damages and another 50 million in exemplary damages.  It claimed the PLDT "malicious" suit had caused injury to consumer group’s reputation and good name as a leading watchdog against PLDT’s own abuses against the general consuming public. "This should show PLDT that in a free and democratic country such as ours, they can’t just bully and harass their critics into submission," said PLDT secretary general Jonathan Domingo. "Maybe next time, PLDT and other companies will think twice before dragging innocent people to court."

PLDTI vows to fight abuses by large business interests against the general public welfare. In 1998, PLDTI exposed the telecom company’s plan to impose mandatory phone metering, drawing howls from phone subscribers. After a number of hearings, the National Telecommunications Commission shelved PLDT’ s phone metering plan.