MANILA — Davao City 1st District’s Cong. Paolo “Pulong” Duterte and ML Party-list’s Cong. Leila de Lima have locked horns over press freedom and the right to seek legal redress after the former filed libel and cyberlibel complaints against GMA Network executives and journalists over reports linking his family to alleged cash deliveries.
Duterte defended the complaints as a legitimate exercise of his legal rights, rejecting de Lima’s accusation that the move was intended to intimidate journalists investigating allegations of corruption.
In a Facebook post, Duterte directly challenged de Lima, a former justice secretary and human rights advocate, to recognize his right to defend himself against accusations he considers unfounded.
“De Lima, as a lawyer and former human rights advocate, you know that every person has the right to protect themselves from any accusation. Filing a case through the legal process is not an attack on the freedom of speech, but a right that every citizen has,” Duterte said.
The exchange followed Duterte’s filing of libel and cyberlibel complaints on Friday against National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) Director Melvin Matibag, dismissed police officer Rodulfo Gracioso Jr., and several GMA Network executives and journalists.
The complaints stemmed from reports concerning Gracioso’s allegations that he delivered suitcases containing cash to members of the Duterte family.
De Lima, the House of Representatives’ senior deputy minority leader, denounced the legal action, warning that it could intimidate media practitioners and discourage investigative reporting on matters involving public officials.
“This is clearly an attempt to silence journalists and truth-seekers, depriving them of their freedom of the press. 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,” she said.
Duterte disputed de Lima’s characterization of the complaints, insisting that press freedom does not exempt journalists from accountability or diminish the rights of individuals implicated in news reports.
“Freedom of the press is important for democracy, but it comes with the responsibility to ensure the safety of those who report and give opportunities to the other side to respond. Reporting an allegation and proving it to be true are two different things,” he said.
The Davao City lawmaker maintained that accusations against public officials should be subjected to proper legal scrutiny rather than treated as established facts without sufficient evidence.
“A person’s right should not be defended at the expense of their own safety, which can be used as a pretext to silence the media. In the same way, freedom of speech should not be used to silence others who are asking for justice,” Paolo Duterte said.
Duterte also invoked de Lima’s own experience with the justice system, suggesting that she should consistently uphold the right of individuals to pursue legal remedies.
De Lima spent nearly seven years in detention over drug-related charges filed during the administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte. She was cleared of all charges in June 2024.
The congressman ended his response with a personal jab at de Lima.
“Just stay in Congress, be cute, smile, smile.”
The controversy originated from Gracioso’s allegations that he delivered cash to former president Rodrigo Duterte, Paolo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte-Carpio upon the instructions of former House Speaker Lord Allan Velasco.
Paolo Duterte has dismissed the allegations as “pure fiction.”
The Vice President has likewise denied the accusations and submitted an affidavit to the NBI, while Velasco’s camp maintained that the claims against the former House speaker have “no basis.”/PN
