Mans Carpio is complainant behind journalist's 'irregular' arrest, says lawyer

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Manases Carpio, husband of Vice President Sara Duterte, filed the online libel complaint against veteran journalist Philip Lustre Jr. which led to his arrest over the weekend.

This is according to Lustre's lawyer, Dino de Leon, who shared a copy of the first page of the information sheet that was filed with the Davao City regional trial court on Monday, October 26. 

"We have obtained the document. Mans Carpio, the husband of Sara Duterte, filed a complaint against veteran journalist Philip Lustre," De Leon wrote in a Facebook post in mixed English and Filipino.

The information sheet shows Lustre had been accused of online libel under Section 4(c)(4) of Republic Act 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012. 

The offensive material in question was a March 6, 2026 Facebook post in which Lustre accused Carpio of being one of many supposed funders of the 18 self-claimed former bagmen.  

These individuals, who now face a multitude of lawsuits over their allegations, claim to be former Marines who were contracted to deliver some P805 billion in kickbacks from flood control works to various officials, including the president. 

The Philippine Navy has since clarified that four of the 18 were never Marines and most were dishonorably discharged.

De Leon agreed to become Lustre's lawyer on the spot as the arrest was carried out at a media forum they were both attending Saturday, October 24.

The lawyer has since flagged several irregularities in the arrest of Lustre reminiscent of the legal harassment that Duterte critics faced under former President Rodrigo Duterte.

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