Inaresto ng National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) ang political influencer na si Franco Mabanta dahil umano sa pangingikil ng milyun-milyong piso sa dating House Speaker na si Martin Romualdez.
Naganap ang entrapment operation sa isang hotel sa Pasig City nitong Martes ng gabi, May 5, 2026.
Huli si Mabanta at ang apat niyang kasama na tumanggap ng ilang maleta na may laman umanong PHP70 million marked money.
Hindi pinangalanan ng NBI ang mga kasama ni Mabanta sa entrapment.
Kilala si Mabanta bilang influencer at founder ng Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN), isang political commentary at news page na may 667,000 followers sa Facebook at 146,000 followers sa Instagram.
Humingi umano si Mabanta ng PHP300 million mula kay Leyte Representative Romualdez kapalit ng hindi paglabas ng flood control exposé sa PGMN.
Saad pa ng NBI sa isang presscon ngayong Miyerkules ng umaga, May 6, nagsimula ang plano ng PGMN na kikilan ang congressman noong nakaraang taon pa.
Umabot daw sa PHP350 million ang hinihinging halaga, pero bumaba ito sa “take-it-or-leave-it” amount na PHP300 million.
Kahapon, May 5, ang deadline umano ng transaksyon. Kung hindi maibigay ang pera ay ilalabas na ang Part 1 ng video.
Iimbestigahan ng NBI ang PGMN para malaman kung sino pa rito ang sangkot, at kung may iba pang personalidad na maaaring kinikilan dito.
Ayon kay NBI director Melvin Matibag, hindi nilabag ng kanyang ahensiya ang kalayaan sa pamamahayag.
“We don’t investigate the opinions; what we investigate are crimes.
"So, yung paggamit ng… weaponizing social media for financial gain illegally by extortion, we go after that,” sabi ni Matibag.
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FRANCO MABANTA DEFENDS HIMSELF
Nagkaroon ng pagkakataon ang media na kausapin si Mabanta nang iharap siya ng NBI sa parehong presscon.
Dito ay itinanggi niya ang paratang ng pangingikil.
“We’re innocent, it’s not true,” sabi ng 43-year-old political operative.
Ayaw naman niyang sagutin kung tungkol saan ang video na ilalabas daw ng PGMN.
Tinanong din siya kung sa tingin niya ay atake sa freedom of the press ang pagkakaaresto sa kanya.
“Yes,” sagot ni Mabanta.
Sa pamamagitan ng Facebook account ng Peanut Gallery Media Network at naglabas ng opisyal na pahayag si Mabanta.
Nanindigan itong inosente at "setup" umano ang ginawa sa kanya.
Inilarawan din ni Mabanta ang nilalaman ng 90-minute episode kung saan isisiwalat daw nila ang "breathtaking national corruption" ni Martin Romualdez noong nakaupo pa ito bilang House Speaker.
Ito raw ang dahilan ng pag-aresto sa kanya. Wala umanong extortion na naganap, at kaya raw nila itong patunayan.
Ginawa raw ito ni Romualdez upang patahimikin sila.
Narito ang kabuuang pahayag ni Mabanta: "We are innocent. This was a setup.
"Over the last five months, PGMN completed immense, comprehensive, painful research on the breathtaking national corruption of Martin Romualdez while he was Speaker of the House.
"What we have is devastating.
"The episode was filmed several weeks ago. It has been fully edited — it is 90 minutes-long, packed with hard evidence, and ready for release.
"That is why this is happening.
"There was no extortion. There were ZERO threats from us. That’s all bullshit. The 'evidence' provided showed one side of the story. We committed NO CRIME: AND WE CAN PROVE IT.
"Romualdez did this to silence us — why? Because the timing of the release of our exposé would leave him in a desperate situation, particularly with his vast current troubles with the Ombudsman hanging over his head, as President Marcos signals that he’s clearly listening to what the whole country wants, and is at last willing to hold accountable the man widely believed to have sabotaged the first three years of his administration.
"Days before our arrest, we had been privately warned multiple times by powerful close friends who were aware of the situation that there is legitimate concern for our physical safety in that any or all of us could be hurt or killed by hitmen.
"In light of this, even before the arrest, I gave specific/explicit instructions that if anything — literally ANYTHING, be it fatal or injurious — happens to any of us in any capacity, our legal teams and trusted allies are to fully publish the 90-minute exposé on every major social media platform for everyone in the Philippines to see.
"We at PGMN have always taken profound and sincere pride in going after the bad guys. Yesterday we made the difficult choice to go after the worst of them all.
"And now we are where we are.
"If this is the price to pay to do what’s right, then so be it. I want my five-year-old and two-year-old sons to look back at these decisions when they’re older and see the kind of man their dad was.
"Dear Martin,
"You know what you did to the country. We know what you did to the country.
"Soon, hopefully, everyone will too.
"- Franco Mabanta"
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WHO IS FRANCO MABANTA?
Unang nakilala ng publiko si Franco Mabanta bilang VJ sa MYX music channel noong 2002. Ka-batch niya sina Heart Evangelista, Bernard Palanca, Michi Valeriano, at Ala Paredes.
Hindi umabot ng isang taon ang trabaho niya sa MYX. Matapos nito ay sinubukan niyang maging theater actor, commercial model, at TV host.
Isa siya sa mga segment host ng Showbiz No. 1, isang daily talk show sa ABS-CBN, noong 2004. Kasama niya sina Neri Naig, JC Cuadrado, at Ogie Diaz.
Noong 2016, sumikat siya sa social media bilang isa sa influencers na nangangampanya para sa kandidatura ni noo'y Davao City Mayor Rodrigo Duterte para sa pagkapresidente.
Noong 2018 ay kinuha siya ni Fedinand Marcos Jr. para maging opisyal na social media strategist. Tumulong si Franco para manalo si Marcos sa Presidential campaign nito noong 2022.
Taong 2024 naman niya itinatag ang PGMN.
“The only Philippine media channel in pursuit of free speech absolutism,” tagline nito sa kanilang Facebook page.
Matapos lamang ang dalawang taon ay lumaki na ang impluwensiya ng PGMN.
Sa ngayon, may mga sikat na anchors at hosts sa lineup ng media company ni Manbanta, tulad nina Edu Manzano, James Deakin, at Greco Belgica.