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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider Court allows NBI to open gadgets of suspects in P300 M extort try vs Romualdez

Court allows NBI to open gadgets of suspects in P300 M extort try vs Romualdez

Published May 19, 2026 04:48 pm
A Pasig City court has allowed the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to open the gadgets seized from Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta and his companions.
NBI Director Melvin A. Matibag said during a press conference on Tuesday, May 19, the Regional Trial Court (RTC) of Pasig City has issued a Warrant to Examine Computer Data (WECD).
“The National Bureau of Investigation is now authorized to open the gadgets of Franco Mabanta and his associates,” he said.
“So makikita po natin sino ‘yung mga kinausap d’yan, who are the personalities na nakausap ni Franco Mabanta (So we can now know who are the personalities Mabanta has been talking to),” he explained.
Last May 5, operatives of the NBI’s Organized Transnational Crime Division (NBI-OTCD) arrested during an entrapment operation founder and chairman Roberto Ma. Franco Cruz Mabanta, Ericson James D. Pacaba, John Alexander Vasquez Vasquez Gomez, Jardine Christian Requio Serrano, and Franco Jose Gallardo.
The NBI-OTCD acted on the complaint of Leyte 1st District Rep. Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez that PGMN was trying to extort from him P300 millionin exchange for not releasing a video expose about the lawmaker’s involvement in the flood control scandal.
All five have been charged for robbery/extortion under the Revised Penal Code (RPC) in relation to Republic Act (RA) No. 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012.

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NBI extortion Martin Romualdez
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