By LYJAH TIFFANY BONZO, GMA News
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The lawyer of journalist Philip Lustre Jr., who was arrested over the weekend for a cyberlibel complaint, said that Vice President Sara Duterte's husband, Manases Carpio, was the complainant in the case, as shown by a document filed with the Davao City Regional Trial Court.
“Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, lawyer Manases “Mans” Carpio, is behind the online libel complaint that led to the arrest of 72-year-old journalist Philip Lustre Jr,” said Atty. Dino De Leon in a statement on Monday.
De Leon said that according to a copy of the information his law firm obtained from the Davao court, Lustre was accused of posting statements on Facebook imputing a crime to Carpio on or about March 6, 2026.
“That on or about March 6, 2026, in the City of Davao, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court, the above-named accused, with deliberate intent, willfully, unlawfully, and feloniously, through his Facebook account, under the name ‘Philip Jr Lustre,' published and posted written statements, thereby making an imputation of a crime against Atty. Masanes R. Carpio, a private individual and on the said date, was actually residing in Davao City, through the internet using the social networking platform called Facebook.com,” a portion of the Information read.
(From the FB post of Atty. Dino De Leon)
Lustre was arrested by police officers in Quezon City on Saturday morning based on an arrest warrant for cyberlibel issued by a Davao court. He said he was unaware of any complaint lodged against him.
The 72-year-old journalist is the author of the book Kill, Kill, Kill, which is about the Duterte administration's war on drugs, and is a longtime critic of the Dutertes.
Sought for their side, Carpio's camp said, "The lawyers of Atty. Maneses Carpio are carefully reviewing the latest developments. We will provide an update as soon as an official reaction statement is available."
‘Unlawful, illegal arrest’
Lustre’s camp likewise described his arrest as “unlawful and irregular,” saying it “came like a thief in the night.”
De Leon said Lustre had no prior knowledge of the case before his arrest, adding that the address indicated on the warrant was not the journalist’s actual residence.
He questioned whether notices during the preliminary investigation had also been sent to that wrong address, thereby depriving Lustre of the opportunity to respond to the complaint.
“If it was easy for the authorities to find Philip Lustre in a media forum, why is it that they were not able to use a proper address during the preliminary investigation stage?” De Leon said.
According to De Leon, arresting officers were also unable to identify the complainant or explain the factual allegations during the arrest because the electronic warrant system displayed only the warrant itself.
He underscored the timing of the service of the warrant, noting that it was executed at a time when obtaining court documents and posting bail are more difficult.
Lustre’s arrest took place following a Saturday forum, a move De Leon argued could intimidate other members of the media.
“Make no mistake, I think this is an attack on the freedom of media and free press,” De Leon said. —LDF, GMA News