Lawmakers urge House probe into PGMN 'red-tagging, extortion' incidents

Amid the recent issues surrounding Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN), lawmakers have filed separate House Resolutions urging the House of Representatives to conduct a congressional inquiry into the media organization.

Early Wednesday, 13 May, members of the Makabayan bloc filed House Resolution No. 1009 into the various videos produced by PGMN linking them to the New People’s Army and Communist Party of the Philippines.

The bloc has labeled the activities as forms of red-tagging, online harassment, and a blatant display of disinformation which has been used as an instrument in the digital age to attack individuals who voice out concerns and criticize the government for policies and instances of unlawful actions.

“Red-tagging has become a cheap way to generate clicks, clout, and engagement at the expense of people’s rights and safety. These reckless accusations are being weaponized online to harass and endanger activists, progressive organizations, and government critics,” said Gabriela Partylist Rep. Sarah Elago.

While Kabataan Partylist Rep. Renee Co echoed the statement, saying “Red-tagging does not constitute journalism, fair commentary, or protected political discourse.”

Elago further explained that the resolution they filed sought for an additional investigation to be made on the supposed government funding of the PGMN platform, noting that they had records wherein the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) shared videos from the organization on their own digital profile.

The bloc stated that such a probe was necessary to protect the rights of media and student journalists to freedom of expression.

In a similar request, over 41 lawmakers from various political parties filed HR 1006 to look into the alleged extortion and robbery activities of PGMN on Tuesday, 12 May.

Over a week ago, on 6 May, the owner of the network Franco Mabanta along with his other associates were seized by authorities from the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) after reportedly demanding a sum of P350 million from Leyte 1st District Rep. Martin Romualdez.

The money was supposedly sought in exchange for the non-disclosure of a video that linked Romualdez to the multibillion peso flood control scandal which was subsequently published days after the arrest.

The solons led by Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre cited various concerns related to such an incident particularly with the use of online platforms as tools for intimidation, coercion, and disinformation.

“When a group allegedly prepares damaging material, holds it back and demands money in exchange for not releasing it, that is not journalism. That is extortion,” Acidre said.

“We are one with the country when it comes to protecting press freedom. But PGMN is far from practicing real journalism. This resolution intends to expose PGMN’s alleged extortion activities and unmask it as a mere fake news peddler,” the solon added in vernacular.

In the resolution, the lawmakers acknowledged the right of people to freedom of expression especially when raising criticisms, however, they said that the exercise of the right should not come at the expense of libelous statements that had no other intent than to harass and threaten politicians.

As part of the proposed investigation, the committee that will handle the case were asked to invite PGMN officers, content creators, and other concerned parties to understand the circumstances surrounding the case to be able to distinguish facts from bluffs.

Denial

Despite the allegations, Mabanta has vehemently denied all the claims, stating that it was actually his group that had been set-up and that it was the camp of Romualdez that had approached them instead of the other way around.

The video, which was the supposed subject of the extortion, was also published on the online platforms of PGMN drawing varying reactions from fans.

Some netizens praised the network for “finally exposing” corruption at the House of Representatives while others offered direct criticisms as they said that the video did not provide any information that was already known.

Media circles have also raised concerns over the use of news clippings throughout the recording, stating that the media organization did not seek their approval for use of the documents.