Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) Lead Anchor Cj Hirro on Friday declared she is prepared to challenge disgraced former lawmaker Marvin Rillo for the Quezon City 4th District congressional seat if incumbent Rep. Bong Suntay decides not to seek reelection in 2028.
In a strongly worded Facebook post, Hirro said she is prepared to enter the political arena to confront Rillo — whose name has been repeatedly linked to corruption controversies, including questions surrounding flood control projects involving the Discayas — if Suntay decides to step aside following backlash over remarks he made about actress Anne Curtis during a congressional hearing.
“If for the mistake he recently made, or for any reason whatsoever, Congressman Suntay chooses not to run in 2028 and that ultimately clears the path for you, I WILL BE THERE TO OPPOSE YOU, MARVIN RILLO,” Hirro wrote.
“My name is CJ Hirro and I am willing to suffer all the verbal and physical abuse of a campaign, move back into District 4 — the place I lived in and loved for many years — to show my daughter what she too can be one day.”
Hirro added that her decision is rooted in a desire “to save my beloved fellow citizens from any man who would misuse their money, abuse the leadership entrusted to him, and disregard their humanity.”
Rillo narrowly lost the district’s congressional seat in May 2025, falling to Suntay by a razor-thin margin. Suntay tallied 91,856 votes, while Rillo finished with 91,617, giving Suntay a 239-vote edge out of more than 183,000 ballots cast — about 0.1%, the tightest margin recorded in a congressional contest over the past decade.
After his defeat, Rillo was named multiple times under oath by contractor Curlee Discaya as directly involved in several multimillion-peso flood control corruption scandals — all of them under the regime of former speaker Martin Romualdez.
Hirro first emerged in the political conversation surrounding the district during the previous election cycle after producing an investigative episode for PGMN examining a ₱71-million public works project tied to Rillo’s district. The project remained unfinished years after construction began, raising questions about project disclosures, scope, and the use of public funds.
Her investigative reporting has since drawn national attention.
In one of her most explosive reports, Hirro produced a two-part investigation into the collapse of the ₱1.225-billion Cabagan–Sta. Maria Bridge in Isabela, reviewing procurement records, engineering assessments, and inspection findings indicating structural concerns had already been flagged years before the bridge ultimately failed.
The investigation triggered national outrage and was followed by the resignation of several government executives connected to agencies involved in the project.
Hirro’s work has also received major recognition. Last year, she received the Asian Pillar of Integrity and Analytical Brilliance in Broadcast Journalism, while Peanut Gallery Media Network was named Asian Pillar of Independent Media and Free Speech at the Asian Pillars Awards.
More recently, Hirro was named Best Investigative Journalism Program alongside GMA-7’s “I-Witness” at the Stardom Awards 2026, honoring her reporting on public accountability and infrastructure controversies.
“You underestimated me once before, Marvin,” said Hirro in her statement. “How did that turn out for you?”
“We all know the answer. Misjuding me, and PGMN, turned your entire life upside down. Insult me again — or hurt another woman one more time for that matter — and in 2028, everyone will see how a ‘Batman wannabe’ would fare against a Hirro by name and blood.”
Her declaration now signals the possibility of a dramatic political showdown in Quezon City once the 2028 race opens — one that could pit a high-profile investigative journalist against a scandal-shadowed political figure.
