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PGMN Founder Franco Mabanta Arrested in Alleged Extortion Plot Targeting Martin Romualdez
The National Bureau of Investigation arrested social media strategist Franco Mabanta and four other men on May 5, 2026, in Pasig City. Authorities said Mabanta demanded P300 million from Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez in exchange for not publishing video content linking him to corruption in the House of Representatives.
May 6, 4:52 AM·2m read2 sources
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The National Bureau of Investigation arrested Peanut Gallery Media Network founder Franco Mabanta and four other men on May 5, 2026, in Pasig City for their alleged involvement in an extortion scheme targeting Leyte 1st District Representative Martin Romualdez.
Authorities said Mabanta demanded P300 million from the former House speaker in exchange for withholding online video content that linked Romualdez to corruption in the lower house. A portion of the purported video material was allegedly sent to support the threat, the National Bureau of Investigation reported in a press release on May 6.
Romualdez filed a complaint with the agency after receiving the demand. The National Bureau of Investigation then arranged an entrapment operation involving the delivery of the first tranche of P75 million. At around 5:30 p.m.
on May 5, Mabanta met with undercover agents posing as representatives of Romualdez at The Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City. " "Jimmy" was later identified as Jardine Christian Serrano. Serrano and Franco Jose Gallardo received the cash and brought it to a function room inside the club, where Mabanta and two other individuals — Ericson James D.
Pacaba and John Alexander Vasquez Gomez — were waiting, according to the National Bureau of Investigation. All five men were arrested during the operation. Agents recovered the entrapment money and mobile phones allegedly used to coordinate the transaction.
He has also expressed support for former president Rodrigo Duterte as early as 2016. " He added that he had received private warnings about risks to their safety and had instructed his legal team to publish the material if anything happened to them.
