Navotas City Rep. Toby Tiangco has filed 38 counts of cyber libel against lawyer and activist Jesus Nicardo Falcis III before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Navotas, according to a complaint-affidavit and a Facebook post by Falcis himself made public this week.
The complaint, filed under Section 4(c)(4) of the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 in relation to Articles 353 and 355 of the Revised Penal Code, names Falcis as the account holder and owner of the “Jesus Falcis” Facebook profile. Tiangco, in the complaint-affidavit, cited the legal doctrine that libel is not protected speech, arguing that deliberate falsehoods or recklessly false statements against a public official do not enjoy constitutional immunity.
Falcis, an openly gay lawyer known for filing a landmark same-sex marriage petition before the Supreme Court, confirmed the complaint in a Facebook post, calling the charges “a badge of honor.” He vowed not to be silenced and suggested the case may give him grounds to challenge the constitutionality of criminal libel before the courts.
Falcis had previously slammed Tiangco on social media, accusing the congressman of presenting himself as an anti-corruption crusader while having remained silent during the Duterte administration’s controversies. Tiangco had emerged as a principal whistleblower in a Senate Blue Ribbon inquiry in 2025, presenting digital evidence on alleged unauthorized budget insertions amounting to ₱13.8 billion.
This is not the first time Falcis has faced cyber libel charges. He has previously been sued by law firm DivinaLaw and, separately, by celebrity Kris Aquino over social media posts — cases that Falcis has consistently defended as protected political and social commentary.
The complaint runs 105 pages, suggesting Tiangco’s legal team compiled a substantial body of Falcis’ posts as evidence. The NPS number on the complaint-affidavit appears blank in the document Falcis shared, indicating it was likely filed recently and not yet docketed at the time of posting.
