NBI move vs anchor of controversial social media firm an attack on press freedom, says expert

MANILA, Philippines — An international law expert on Friday warned that the National Bureau of Investigation’s (NBI) move to identify an anchor from a controversial social media firm as a person of interest in the alleged extortion case involving former speaker Martin Romualdez amounted to an attack on press freedom and an attempt to silence critics of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.. Melissa Loja issued the warning after NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed that CJ Hirro of the Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) had been included in the complaint affidavit filed in connection with the case and would be summoned by the bureau. “Targeting an anchor who happens to be ‘anchoring’ the documentary against Romualdez is targeting press freedom,” Loja told The Manila Times. “The purpose is clearly to silence the anchor and prevent her/him from presenting the documentary,” she added. The NBI arrested PGMN founder Franco Mabanta and four others over Romualdez’s complaint alleging that they attempted to extort up to P350 million in exchange for not releasing an exposé video linking the former speaker to corruption at the House of Representatives. Matibag said Hirro was identified as a person of interest based on the complainant’s affidavit and was also seen in a video clip referenced in the complaint. Matibag also said the NBI was looking into the possible participation of other PGMN members and was applying for a cyber warrant to examine seized gadgets and determine whether other individuals may have been victimized by the alleged extortion scheme. Loja, however, questioned the scope of the proposed cyber warrant, saying it should not cover the documentary itself. “The cyber warrant should not include the documentary itself. Questioning the documentary itself is attacking the speech content already,” she said. She also accused Matibag of using the NBI to suppress dissent. “Matibag is clearly weaponizing the NBI to silence critics of Marcos,” Loja said. The international law expert further cast doubt on the NBI’s account of the alleged entrapment operation, saying key evidence had not been disclosed publicly. “This makes the ‘entrapment’ story even more doubtful, especially as the CCTV cameras in the function room have not been made public,” she said. “Only those CCTV footages can reveal whether Mabanta was expecting the maletas or was surprised when Matibag’s men wheeled in the maletas,” Loja added. She also questioned the reliability of videos released by the NBI. “The NBI videos are unreliable, especially as the audio is distorted,” Loja said.

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