NBI files complaint vs. Lambino, Cardema over TRO 'fake news'

The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Tuesday filed a complaint before the Department of Justice (DOJ) against lawyer Raul Lambino and former National Youth Commission chairman Ronald Cardema for allegedly claiming that the Supreme Court (SC) issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

NBI Intelligence Division agent Allein Rey Delfin said the complaint was filed for violation of Article 154 of the Revised Penal Code, or for unlawful use of means of publication and unlawful utterances.

"Volatile ang situation at that time so maraming nagmamahal sa ating former president, alam naman natin 'yan," Delfin said in an ambush interview.

(The situation was volatile at that time, and many people love our former president—we all know that.)

"So utterances of such fake news… ang pangkaraniwang po kapag na-assume natin na tama ang gan'ung isang news na merong TRO, magke-create siya ng [idea] na mali ang ginagawa ng ating agents of state," he added.

(So utterances of such fake news… typically, when we assume that such news—like the existence of a TRO—is true, it creates the impression that our agents of the state are doing something wrong.)

According to Delfin, Cardema similarly claimed in an interview that a TRO was issued.

However, the NBI agent said this was not published through Cardema's Facebook account but through another Facebook page.

On March 11, the day of Duterte's arrest, Lambino's camp and Senator Ronald "Bato" Dela Rosa filed a petition asking the SC to direct the government to release the former president from detention, and issue a TRO against the government's possible cooperation with the ICC.

Before the former president could be flown to The Hague, Netherlands that night, social media posts claimed that the SC granted the request and issued a TRO.

The SC later ordered Lambino to explain why he should not face administrative action for spreading false information. Lambino previously said he had no intention to spread fake news.

The former president is currently facing charges of crimes against humanity before the ICC in The Hague, Netherlands over his administration's war on drugs.

Duterte's hearing on the confirmation of his charges has been set for September 23. He made his first appearance before the ICC on March 14.

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Sought for comment, Cardema said the information regarding the TRO did not come from him.

"Regarding a so-called TRO of the Supreme Court, that info/news did not come from me, I am not a petitioner/privy to that info, I just rely on news updates same as the millions of Filipinos," he said in a statement.

"I was at Villamor Air Base that entire day & night while PRRD was being detained inside," he added.

Cardema also cited his freedom of speech and expression.

He said the Duterte Youth Party-List will launch a congressional inquiry on the alleged harassment or direction of the NBI, if it wins enough seats for the House of Representatives in Eleksyon 2025.

For his part, Lamibo dubbed the complaint as “political harassment.”

“Kung totoo ngang may isinampa ang NBI, ito ay political harassment, pure and simple. At gusto kong makita muna reklamo ng NBI, kung ano yong basis nila, para masagot ko punto por ponto,” he told GMA News Online.

(If it’s true that the NBI filed something, this is political harassment—pure and simple. And I want to first see the NBI’s complaint, what their basis is, so I can respond point by point.) — VDV/RF, GMA Integrated News