Malacañang on Wednesday explicitly distanced President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. from social media personality Franco Mabanta, asserting that the two are “not friends” and pointing to Mabanta’s apparent connections with the Duterte family instead.
Communications Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro firmly dismissed any efforts to connect the arrested founder of the Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) to the current administration, downplaying his previous participation in pro-government online campaigns.
“Hindi po siya kaibigan ng Pangulo,” Castro said during a media briefing here.
To support her statement, Castro showcased photographs of Mabanta alongside former President Rodrigo Duterte, Vice President Sara Duterte, and former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque.
While the Palace stopped short of explicitly defining Mabanta’s alliance with the Duterte camp, Castro urged the media to question Mabanta directly about those relationships, adding that much of his content has been critical of the Marcos administration.
The Palace’s remarks follow the arrest of Mabanta and four associates in an extortion case, which officials maintain is purely criminal and devoid of political motivation.
According to the National Bureau of Investigation, the group was apprehended in an entrapment operation after allegedly accepting a ₱75 million payout.
Authorities revealed that the suspects had demanded a total of ₱350 million, threatening to publish a documentary implicating Leyte 1st District Representative and former House Speaker Martin Romualdez in a controversial flood control scandal if they were not paid.
Castro reiterated that Marcos is committed to upholding accountability across the board, ensuring that political loyalties will not interfere with justice.
“Managot ang dapat managot,” she said, while emphasizing that due process would be observed in the case.