PCol. Hector Grijaldo Files a Cyber Libel Complaint Against Cong. Bienvenido Abante Jr.

Police Colonel Hector U. Grijaldo Jr. has taken the step of filing a cyber libel complaint against Congressman Bienvenido “Benny” Abante Jr., a case that tests both the limits of political discourse and the protections of law.

The controversy began in the Senate Blue Ribbon Sub-Committee hearings on the Duterte administration’s war on drugs. Under oath, Col. Grijaldo alleged that Abante and Congressman Dan Fernandez privately pressured him to affirm a supposed “rewards system” for police officers. He refused, insisting that he could not testify on matters he had no personal knowledge of.

The matter might have ended there—until Abante struck back in the media. On October 29, 2024, in a televised ANC 24/7 interview with Karen Davila, Abante denied Grijaldo’s version of events. More than that, he repeatedly branded the colonel as “a killer,” casting doubt on why anyone should trust his statements. Broadcast live and later uploaded to YouTube, the remarks quickly spread across ANC’s platform, which boasts more than two million subscribers.

For Col. Grijaldo, the damage was not simply political; it was personal and professional. Assisted by Go & De Guzman Law Offices, he argued that Abante’s statements imputed to him a serious crime of homicide or murder, crimes of which he has never been found guilty by any court or congressional body. By delivering these accusations publicly, with malice, and on a mass-reaching digital platform, Abante’s words, he claims, meet every element of cyber libel under the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, in relation to the Revised Penal Code.

The Complaint goes further, stressing that Abante’s remarks were made outside the halls of Congress, in a media interview wholly unrelated to official proceedings. Thus, they are not shielded by parliamentary privilege nor by any claim of “privileged communication.” In the eyes of the law, the statements stand on their own—as unprotected, unverified, and defamatory.

From a legal standpoint, this case raises crucial questions: How far can public officials go in using media platforms to defend themselves? When does political rhetoric cross into personal defamation? And should immunity extend beyond the floor of the House into the realm of primetime interviews?

As legal counsel for Police Colonel Hector U. Grijaldo, Jr., Go & De Guzman Law Offices remains firm in its belief that justice demands that words spoken with malice, amplified through online platforms to millions of viewers, must carry consequences.

To allow otherwise is to erode not only the reputation of one public officer but also the rule of law itself.

Ultimately, the complaint asks the Office of the City Prosecutor to affirm a simple principle: in a republic governed by law, truth and fairness are not optional. They are the bedrock of justice.