A local court has permanently barred comedian and former television host Anjo Yllana from reposting statements it deemed defamatory against the noontime variety show Eat Bulaga and its hosts, ordering him to pay P3.5 million in damages.

In a decision dated 29 June, the Mandaluyong City Regional Trial Court Branch 279 ruled in favor of a civil complaint filed by TVJ Productions Inc. The court found that Yllana’s social media attacks exceeded the boundaries of protected free speech and unlawfully damaged the program’s reputation.

The court issued a permanent injunction prohibiting Yllana, his representatives, and anyone acting on his behalf from posting, sharing or rebroadcasting the disputed statements on TikTok or any other online platform.

The lawsuit stemmed from a series of social media posts and livestreams in late 2025 in which Yllana made allegations against Eat Bulaga management and several of its longtime hosts, including the trio of Tito Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon known collectively as TVJ.

“While the Constitution protects freedom of expression, such freedom is not absolute,” the court statement read. “It cannot be used to injure the rights of others or to exploit, for personal gain, the hard-earned goodwill and reputation of an enterprise, its brand and the individuals associated with it.”

According to the ruling, the monetary award will incur a 6 percent annual legal interest from the time the judgment becomes final until full payment is made.

In a statement issued after the ruling, TVJ Productions called the decision a vindication of the credibility the show has built over decades.