A former Quezon City congressman has seized on the legal troubles surrounding Peanut Gallery Media Network to escalate his own grievances against one of its anchors, submitting an affidavit to the National Bureau of Investigation seeking the filing of four cyberlibel complaints against PGMN host CJ Hirro.
Former 4th District Rep. Marvin Rillo, who lost his reelection bid in the 2025 midterm elections, alleged that Hirro’s reporting about him amounted to defamatory attacks that contributed directly to his electoral defeat. Rillo lost to Rep. Bong Suntay by 239 votes — approximately 0.01 percent of the total ballots cast in the district.
The cyberlibel push is rooted in a series of PGMN investigations Hirro led against Rillo while he was still in office. The reports focused on a government-funded multipurpose building at Carlos L. Albert High School in Quezon City — a project launched in March 2023 that had consumed more than ₱71 million in public funds while leaving behind little more than concrete foundations and structural posts. A malversation complaint over the same project was separately filed by Citizens Crime Watch in March. Rillo denied wrongdoing, arguing that the expenditure covered only the first phase of a three-phase construction plan with a total budget of ₱225 million, a position the Department of Public Works and Highways echoed. Hirro challenged that explanation, pointing out that neither the project’s bidding documents nor its signage made any reference to phased implementation — a standard procurement requirement.
PGMN’s coverage of Rillo did not stop there. The network aired accounts from residents of Barangay Obrero who claimed Rillo withheld disaster relief from fire victims on the basis of their political leanings, as well as testimony from a whistleblower alleging that the former congressman collected commissions of up to 30 percent on district infrastructure projects, potentially totaling ₱197 million over three years. The three main episodes drew a combined viewership of over 30 million across PGMN platforms.
Rillo’s camp had previously branded Hirro a “hired propagandist” and attempted to build a counter-narrative, but a key witness later admitted he had fabricated his account under pressure from Rillo’s associates and allies.
Following the arrest of PGMN founder Franco Mabanta on May 5 over an unrelated alleged extortion scheme against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Rillo publicly declared he no longer needed to do anything to damage Hirro’s reputation. “Salamat sa DIYOS! Hindi na kita kailangan siraan pa! Dahil sa ginawa ng inyong COMPANY ang mismong sumira sa inyo!” he wrote in a Facebook post. He also questioned whether Hirro had been paid to target him during the campaign period: “Hindi ko na kailangan itanong Kung NABAYARAN KA BA NUNG NAKARAAN HALALAN PARA SIRAAN AKO! Dahil ALAM NA NG TAONG BAYAN ANG SAGOT!”
Hirro, meanwhile, has become a separate point of interest in the NBI’s investigation into the Romualdez extortion complaint against Mabanta. The bureau identified her as a person of interest after NBI Director Melvin Matibag confirmed her name appeared in the complaint affidavit filed by a Romualdez aide, and that she was visible in a video clip allegedly sent to Romualdez as a payment demand. She was subpoenaed to appear before the NBI’s Organized and Transnational Crime Division on May 11. Mabanta’s legal counsel, Atty. Bernice Piñol-Rodriguez, clarified that Hirro was not a named respondent in Romualdez’s complaint, describing her as a “journalist with credibility and integrity.”
Rillo, for his part, said Hirro had yet to file a single legal case against him despite months of on-air allegations — and vowed he would not drop the cyberlibel complaints he had been pursuing against her.
