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Sen. Risa Hontiveros along with her lawyers filing a complaint at the Department of Justice on Wednesday, July 9, 2025, against former Senate witness Michael Maurillo and six other vloggers.
Philstar.com / Ian Laqui
MANILA, Philippines — Sen. Risa Hontiveros filed cyber libel complaints on Wednesday, July 9 against former Senate witness Michael Maurillo and six vloggers who allegedly helped spread a video accusing her of coercion and bribery.
The complaints, filed before the Department of Justice (DOJ) on July 9, stemmed from a video in which Maurillo claimed Hontiveros forced and paid him to testify against detained preacher Apollo Quiboloy during a Senate hearing earlier this year.
Named in the complaint alongside Maurillo were the following vloggers:
- Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio
- Krizette Chu
- Banat By
- Jay Sonza
- Tio Moreno
- Jeffrey Celiz
At a press conference, Hontiveros sthe issue goes beyond misinformation.
“Ang nararapat na kaso ay cyberlibel,” she said, citing her legal team’s assessment. “Dahil sa kawalang-pakialaman nila kung totoo o hindi ang kanilang kinakalat, at mga dagdag na kasinungalingan pa na sinabi nila.”
Hontiveros said the video and its distribution attempt to “bury the real stories” of witnesses and those helping them.
“This is not a case of fake news,” she added. “This is a systematic and deliberate attack on witnesses and those who bravely came forward.”
Topacio, one of those named, told Philstar.com he had yet to read the complaint. The other vloggers have not issued public statements as of writing.
Parallel NBI probe sought
On July 3, Hontiveros also asked the National Bureau of Investigation’s Cybercrime Division to conduct a separate probe into the video, Maurillo’s whereabouts, and the Facebook page that posted the clip.
Her complaint to the NBI included a request for assistance in verifying claims that Maurillo was kidnapped and held at "Glory Mountain," a property owned by Quiboloy’s Kingdom of Jesus Christ (KOJC).
The complaint-affidavit also asked the NBI to investigate other online personalities who allegedly helped spread the video.
"I am counting on the parallel investigation into my complaints at the NBI, and hopefully, these cases that I filed at the DOJ Prosecution Service," she said in Filipino.
Among those named in both the NBI and DOJ complaints are Chu, Sonza, and Banat By. When asked why some vloggers were excluded from the DOJ complaint, Hontiveros said those named were directly involved in spreading false claims against her.
Last contact with witness. Hontiveros had said that prior to the release of the video on June 24, Maurillo contacted her office for help.
According to the senator, Maurillo sought assistance on June 22 and 23—days before the video surfaced online—claiming he was in danger.
"I'm hoping that it would be acted on by the NBI, [and] even as there is no update for now, I am confident they're doing what their mandate dictates under law," she said in Filipino.
Background on Maurillo. Maurillo, who used the alias "Rene," appeared as a witness in the February 2024 Senate probe led by Hontiveros into Quiboloy and KOJC.
He accused Quiboloy and other KOJC officials of physical abuse, forced labor, maltreatment, and unpaid work imposed on members of the religious group.
