A week after Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) Founder and CEO Franco Mabanta issued an apology to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. regarding the allegations his new outlet publicized about him, the Palace urged the public to avoid intrigues and instead file the appropriate charges after having collected sound evidence.

“So iwasan ang mga intriga. Kung gagawa kayo ng anumang pag-iimbestiga, siguraduhin lamang ninyo na kayo ay may mga ebidensya. Hindi kailangan daanin sa pamilya, ‘di kailangan daanin kung saan saan, kung mayroong kayong ebidensya, sampahan niyo na agad ng kaso,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a Monday press briefing.

She said that an apology was tantamount to admitting that the information he had gathered and shared was false, a serious blow to his credibility as a member of the media.

“Ang paghingi ng paumanhin ay ay pag-amin ng kamalian. Ang pag-amin ng kamalian, papaano nila masasabi sa tao na totoo ang kanilang kwento? So ang aral dito, huwag gumawa ng intriga, lalo na kung walang basehan,” she said.

The Palace official pointed out that, ultimately, it is the Filipino people who are the victims of defamatory news like this.

“Ang pag-iingay ng walang saysay ay nagiging biktima lamang ang mga Pilipino na walang malay. At ang paninira na walang basehan, ginagawa lang na mangmang ang ating mga kababayan,” she noted.

Castro said Marcos and his cousin, former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, may not be on speaking terms at the moment, although she cannot confirm the state of their relationship.

According to reports, PGMN released its supposedly controversial video linking Romualdez to anomalous flood control projects on May 10.