Court issues cyber warrant for Mabanta’s phones

MANILA, Philippines — Pasig court has granted the request of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to examine the mobile devices of social media operator Franco Mabanta and four others, who are facing robbery charges for allegedly trying to extort former speaker and Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez.

Judge Elisa Sarmiento-Flores of the Pasig Regional Trial Court Branch 71 issued a warrant to examine data on five mobile phones owned by Mabanta, Jardine Serrano, Franco Gallardo, Ericson James Pacaba and John Alexander Gomez.

They are part of the Peanut Gallery Media Network, a media startup that produced a nearly two-hour exposé on Romualdez’s alleged corruption schemes.

The suspects were arrested by the NBI on May 5 after allegedly attempting to extort P300 million from Romualdez in exchange for burying the exposé.

The court has allowed the NBI digital forensics laboratory to examine all messages from April 25 to May 5 pertaining to the alleged extortion.

The NBI Organized and Transnational Crimes Division, which applied the cyber warrant, is also allowed to conduct limited interception activities.

Mabanta and the other suspects are out on bail.