Legal representatives for security guards caught in a corporate power struggle at Vibal Group Inc. (VGI) are weighing a lawsuit for arbitrary detention after most charges against the men were dismissed.

The move marks a new phase in the battle for control of one of the Philippines' oldest publishing houses, where a family rift has led to both a P1.6 billion fraud investigation and a 9 March police raid at the company’s Quezon City headquarters.

Atty. Christine Bernadette Cruz of Fortun and Santos Law Offices confirmed in a statement on 16 March that eight of the 10 guards arrested at the G. Araneta Avenue compound have been released.

The Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office dropped charges of grave coercion, trespass, usurpation of authority and disobedience.

"We are reviewing the circumstances of their arrest and detention and exploring all legal remedies to address what we view as arbitrary detention," Cruz said. She added that the guards were "caught in a power play by more influential parties."

The arrests occurred during an attempt to reinstate CEO Maria Kristine Mandigma, following a writ of execution from the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC).

Mandigma and company president Gaspar Vibal had entered the compound with a new security detail, Bradzky Security, to replace the outgoing force.

In a sworn statement, Gaspar Vibal alleged that his sisters, Aida Gutierrez and Nila Mata, engaged a SWAT team to arrest the new guards to prevent the "discovery of more criminal evidence of their past misconduct and fraud."

The guards were taken into custody allegedly without a warrant around 11:30 p.m. on 9 March, several hours after management had left the scene. Only a firearms-related charge remains pending against two of the men.

The alleged "misconduct" referenced by Gaspar Vibal involves a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) investigation into his sisters and former finance officers. The SEC has ordered Nila Vibal Mata, Aida Vibal Gutierrez, and Stella Vibal Lawson to respond to a complaint alleging P1.6 billion in alleged "ghost" transactions between 1997 and 2015.

Internal documents recovered in 2025 allegedly show a scheme using fictitious invoices to inflate costs and divert corporate funds into the personal accounts of the Vibal sisters and their late mother.

Earlier, the publishing company released an official statement clarifying the events that transpired at their company’s premises.

“On 9 March 2026, Mr. Gaspar A. Vibal, Ms. Maria Kristine E. Mandigma, together with her legal counsel Atty. Seth Infante, and several men, more than 20 of them, entered the premises of Vibal Group Inc. purportedly to enforce a Writ of Execution issued by Labor Arbiter Raul Luna of the NLRC Regional Arbitration Branch 53. The writ directed the reinstatement of Ms. Mandigma pending appeal. Upon entering the premises, VGI’s security guards were ordered to vacate the property,” the statement through their legal counsel read.

VGI reiterated that there’s no decision, order, or resolution declaring that Mandigma was illegally dismissed.

Furthermore, they narrated how elected VGI president Nila Mata and director Aida Gutierrez were barred from entering the premises. After contacting the police, 10 men were arrested for illegally entering the publishing house and for failing to provide licenses for their firearms.