NATIONAL
Advocates Philippines
'Dear Martin, You Know What You Did' Franco Mabanta following His Arrest
Photo credit: Franco Mabanta
Social media personality and Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) founder Franco Mabanta has spoken out following his arrest over an alleged ₱300-million extortion case involving former House Speaker Martin Romualdez.
In a lengthy social media post released after the arrest, Mabanta strongly denied the accusations and claimed that the case was allegedly meant to silence their group before the release of what he described as a “devastating” exposé against Romualdez.
“We are innocent. This was a setup,” Mabanta wrote.
According to Mabanta, PGMN had spent the last five months conducting what he called an extensive investigation into alleged corruption linked to Romualdez during his time as Speaker of the House. He claimed the group had already completed a 90-minute documentary packed with supposed evidence and was preparing for its release before authorities moved against them.
Mabanta insisted that no extortion or threats took place, saying the accusations only showed “one side of the story.” He maintained that neither he nor his co-accused committed any crime and vowed they could prove their innocence.
The social media personality further alleged that powerful individuals had privately warned them days before the arrest about possible threats to their safety. Because of this, he said instructions had already been given to legal teams and allies to release the full exposé online if anything harmful happened to any member of their group.
Mabanta also framed their actions as part of what he described as PGMN’s long-standing mission of exposing wrongdoing.
“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,” he stated.
Toward the end of the post, Mabanta directly addressed Romualdez with a message that quickly gained traction online.
“Dear Martin, You know what you did to the country. We know what you did to the country. Soon, hopefully, everyone will too.”
Authorities have yet to publicly respond to Mabanta’s latest statements, while the alleged extortion case continues to draw heavy attention across social media and political circles.
In a lengthy social media post released after the arrest, Mabanta strongly denied the accusations and claimed that the case was allegedly meant to silence their group before the release of what he described as a “devastating” exposé against Romualdez.
“We are innocent. This was a setup,” Mabanta wrote.
According to Mabanta, PGMN had spent the last five months conducting what he called an extensive investigation into alleged corruption linked to Romualdez during his time as Speaker of the House. He claimed the group had already completed a 90-minute documentary packed with supposed evidence and was preparing for its release before authorities moved against them.
Mabanta insisted that no extortion or threats took place, saying the accusations only showed “one side of the story.” He maintained that neither he nor his co-accused committed any crime and vowed they could prove their innocence.
The social media personality further alleged that powerful individuals had privately warned them days before the arrest about possible threats to their safety. Because of this, he said instructions had already been given to legal teams and allies to release the full exposé online if anything harmful happened to any member of their group.
Mabanta also framed their actions as part of what he described as PGMN’s long-standing mission of exposing wrongdoing.
“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,” he stated.
Toward the end of the post, Mabanta directly addressed Romualdez with a message that quickly gained traction online.
“Dear Martin, You know what you did to the country. We know what you did to the country. Soon, hopefully, everyone will too.”
Authorities have yet to publicly respond to Mabanta’s latest statements, while the alleged extortion case continues to draw heavy attention across social media and political circles.
May 7, 2026
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