DOCTOR Ephrime B. Metillo, a researcher at Mindanao State University-Iligan Institute of Technology (MSU-IIT), has publicly addressed recent plagiarism claims made by this paper's correspondent and columnist, Mary Angelica Amerkhan.
The accusations started when Amerkhan noticed strong similarities between her original draft about the importance of sardines in the Philippines and Dr. Metillo’s recently published article in the Mindanao Daily News, which covers similar topics.
The week before the Mindanao Daily article was published, Jea Maraon Murillo, an intern at MSU-IIT’s Office of Research Dissemination, approached Amerkhan.
Murillo was referred to Amerkhan by Dr. Premitivo Ragandang III, a friend of Dr. Metillo at the university.
The news about the alleged plagiarism was reported on March 6 by this writer, Ben Balce, the associate editor of Gold Star Daily.
The article claimed Dr. Metillo copied work from journalist Mary Angelica Amerkhan about sardines.
“I categorically deny this baseless accusation. I have never copied any literary work of Ms. Amerkhan," said Dr. Metillo.
In a 57-page response dated March 11, 2025, Dr. Metillo firmly denied the accusations, stating that they are unfounded and incorrect.
Dr. Metillo explained that the original draft mentioned in Balce's article was written by his intern, Ms. Jea Murillo.
However, the alleged article published in Mindanao Daily News also appeared on the MSU-IIT website, stating: "Mindanao Daily News recently featured the research of Dr. Ephrime B. Metillo."
He said the similarities noted by Amerkhan were because Ms. Murillo’s article was based on Dr. Metillo’s earlier research published in 2018, titled “Ontogenetic Feeding Shift and Size-Based Zooplanktivory in Sardinella lemuru.”
Ms. Murillo’s article, titled "Sardinas ang ulam ng bayan: Understanding Rebuilding Population and Sardine Food Web," was published in Mindanao Daily News on February 26, 2025.
Dr. Metillo provided evidence that this article was indeed Ms. Murillo’s original work, not a copy of Amerkhan’s writing.
Supporting Evidence
To support his case, Dr. Metillo shared a Facebook Messenger conversation between Ms. Murillo and Ms. Amerkhan, in which Ms. Murillo sent her draft to Amerkhan for review.
He also cited software comparisons showing that the Mindanao Daily News article matched Ms. Murillo's original draft by 98%, while it matched Amerkhan’s work by only 18%.
Additionally, Dr. Metillo pointed out that Ms. Murillo withdrew her original work from Amerkhan and the Gold Star Daily on February 25, 2025, before it was published elsewhere.
Legal Context
In his statement, Dr. Metillo referenced copyright law, specifically Section 173 of R.A. 8293, which protects collections of literary, scholarly, or artistic works as new creations.
He emphasized that these new works do not affect the copyright of the original works.
He stated that Amerkhan's derivative work cannot infringe on the rights of the original author, Ms. Murillo, or the researcher, Dr. Metillo.
Summary of Key Points
Dr. Metillo summarized several key points regarding the situation:
The article published in Mindanao Daily News on February 26, 2025, was the original work of Ms. Murillo.
Dr. Metillo's 2018 research was the basis for Ms. Murillo's original article.
Ms. Murillo withdrew her original work from Amerkhan and Gold Star Daily on February 25, 2025.
Dr. Metillo did not plagiarize any material from Ms. Amerkhan.
Dr. Metillo also called on this paper to correct the record regarding the allegations.
He cited a Supreme Court ruling that emphasizes journalists' responsibility to report the truth and verify their stories before publication.
Like Amerkhan, Dr. Metillo stressed the importance of proper attribution and the rights of original authors in academic and journalistic work.
Dr. Metillo hopes this clarification will help clear his name and uphold the integrity of research and writing in the community.
