DAVAO CITY, Philippines—Press freedom concerns mounted after veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. was arrested on a cyberlibel complaint filed against him by lawyer Manases Carpio, while a separate complaint against GMA Network executives and journalists by Davao City 1st District Rep. Paolo Duterte landed with prosecutors in Davao City on Oct. 23.
Lustre was arrested shortly after a Saturday news forum in Quezon City on Oct. 24. He was released in the evening after posting P48,000 bail.
On Oct. 26, Dino de Leon, Lustre’s lawyer, posted an image of the information page of a court document on his social media account. The document, received by the clerk of court of Branch 10 of the Regional Trial Court in Davao City, bore a date stamp of Sept. 17, 2026.
“Nakuha na namin ang dokumento. Si Mans Carpio, asawa ni Sara Duterte, ang nagdemanda sa beteranong mamamahayag na si Philip Lustre,” De Leon wrote.
(“We have obtained the document. Mans Carpio, the husband of Sara Duterte, is the one who sued veteran journalist Philip Lustre.”)
Lustre, author of the book “Kill, Kill, Kill” about the Duterte administration’s drug war, said he was unaware of any complaint filed against him.
“I will fight and I won’t back down on this,” Lustre said in Filipino.
Rep. Duterte filed the complaint against GMA before the Office of the City Prosecutor over a Sept. 25 television report aired by GMA News’ 24 Oras.
The report featured witness Gracioso’s allegations that he delivered suitcases of cash to members of the Duterte family on the alleged instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Rep. Duterte denied receiving money from Gracioso, calling the allegations false and reputationally damaging. His lawyer, Atty. Peter Paul Danao, said the complaint sought P10 million in moral damages and P10 million in exemplary damages.
Named in the complaint were GMA Network Chairman Felipe Gozon; president and CEO Gilberto Duavit Jr.; 24 Oras anchors Mel Tiangco, Vicky Morales and Emil Sumangil; and journalists Darlene Cay, Marvin Parado and Joel San Luis, along with unidentified respondents. The complaint also named National Bureau of Investigation Director Melvin Matibag and dismissed police Officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr.
Rep. Duterte defended the filing. “I am doing this for my children and for my family,” he said in Filipino.
Matibag said it was Duterte’s prerogative to pursue legal action and that the NBI would respond after receiving a copy of the complaint-affidavit.
The bureau’s investigation into Gracioso’s allegations remains ongoing.
Attack on press
The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines GMA Chapter condemned the complaint in an Oct. 23 statement, viewing it as an attack on media workers reporting on matters of public interest.
“Journalism is not a crime. Reporting on official affidavits and legal filings involving public officials is an essential part of press freedom and public accountability,” the group said.
The union said the report underwent editorial and legal verification before airing, including checks against official sources and law enforcement documents, plus clearance from network leadership and legal counsel.
The group said that the field reporter involved had experienced online harassment and intimidation following the broadcast, including threatening messages, insults and AI-manipulated content intended to undermine the journalist’s credibility.
It clarified that the reporter had no prior personal relationship with Gracioso before the official interview, which was coordinated with law enforcement authorities.
Chilling effect
House Senior Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima criticized Duterte’s complaint, warning that legal action against journalists could discourage reporting on corruption allegations involving public officials.
“Filing a libel case against a media network and its journalists for doing their job of reporting allegations of corruption sends a chilling message to other media practitioners,” de Lima said.
She described the complaint as an attempt to silence journalists and truth-seekers, arguing that public officials could respond to allegations by presenting their side rather than resorting to legal action that could intimidate the press.
Libel and press freedom
The developments have renewed concerns about criminal libel and cyberlibel charges against journalists.
In 2025, the Commission on Human Rights supported initiatives to decriminalize libel and cyberlibel, citing implications for freedom of expression and press freedom.
The commission noted that cyberlibel had increasingly been used not only to address online defamation but also to intimidate critics, journalists and human rights defenders.
Criminal libel remains punishable under the Revised Penal Code, while cyberlibel is covered by the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.
The NUJP has long advocated for the decriminalization, arguing that civil remedies are available for grievances without exposing journalists to criminal prosecution and possible imprisonment.
In a 2021 statement following dismissal of a cyberlible case against Rappler CEO Maria Ressa and journalist Rambo Talabong, the NUJP said: That someone can be jailed for a story is a throwback to colonial times and is incompatible with the freedoms of the press and of speech that are essential to democracy.”
The NUJP GMA Chapter called on media workers, legal advocates and the public to remain vigilant against the weaponization of criminal law to silence independent reporting.
“In a vibrant democracy, civil remedies exist for grievances; criminalizing speech only undermines the public’s fundamental right to know.”(davaotoday.com)
