Davao City First District Rep. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte filed libel and cyberlibel complaints against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, senior GMA Network executives, and several journalists on Friday, October 23, escalating a dispute over allegations involving the Duterte family. The complaints were lodged before the Office of the City Prosecutor in Davao City, with respondents including GMA executives Felipe Gozon and Gilberto Duavit Jr., broadcasters Mel Tiangco, Vicki Morales, and Emil Sumangil, as well as other media personnel. Dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., whose statements helped trigger the controversy, was also named in the complaint.
The legal action follows Gracioso’s allegations that he transported suitcases containing billions of pesos to Vice President Sara Duterte and other members of the Duterte family, supposedly on the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco. The Duterte family has denied the allegations, while Pulong Duterte has challenged investigators to produce credible evidence supporting claims involving his relatives and properties allegedly linked to them. Separately, Matibag disclosed that the NBI had identified possible irregularities in 47 flood-control projects in Duterte’s congressional district, including projects associated with contractor Genesis88 Construction. The bureau subsequently recommended charges against several government officials and contractors over alleged irregularities in selected projects. These investigative findings do not, by themselves, establish criminal wrongdoing by the congressman.
The complaints bring a new legal dimension to the controversy, placing questions about reputational harm, investigative disclosures, and media reporting before prosecutors. Authorities must determine whether the statements and publications identified in Duterte’s complaint satisfy the legal requirements for libel or cyberlibel. Meanwhile, the separate investigations into alleged cash deliveries and questionable infrastructure projects remain subject to verification and due process. Filing a complaint does not establish that the respondents committed libel, just as the accusations underlying the controversy do not prove that members of the Duterte family received illicit funds. The dispute now raises questions about the evidentiary basis of public allegations and the boundaries of accountability in both government investigations and news coverage.
Image from Hernel Tocmo