Health reform advocate Dr. Tony Leachon has filed a cyberlibel complaint against House Deputy Speaker and Iloilo 1st District Rep. Janette Garin over a Facebook video where she allegedly accused him of “killing a patient without seeing the patient.”
Leachon filed the complaint in Quezon City on Thursday, May 28, through his legal counsel, Nabua Law Offices. The complaint stemmed from a Facebook video posted on May 22, 2026, which Leachon said contained false and defamatory remarks against his reputation and professional competence as a physician.
“This case is not about silencing critics. It is about drawing the line between fair comment and malicious falsehood. Integrity in governance and integrity in discourse are inseparable. Truth matters,” Leachon said in a statement posted on X.
Leachon also said the accusation affected him professionally, saying many patients contacted him to ask whether it was true that he had killed a patient. He described the remark as “an assault” on his profession and said his reputation as a doctor had been attacked.
In his press release, Leachon’s camp cited the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, or Republic Act 10175, which covers defamatory imputations made online. His camp argued that the Facebook video contained the elements of cyberlibel, including defamatory content, public dissemination, clear identification, and malice.
Leachon’s camp also said the filing is consistent with his pending Ombudsman complaint involving the alleged misuse of public funds. On the same day, he filed a supplemental motion seeking to include former Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman as a respondent in his complaint over the alleged transfer of ₱60 billion in PhilHealth reserve funds and ₱107 billion in Philippine Deposit Insurance Corp. funds to the national treasury.
Leachon said both actions are part of his call for accountability in the handling of public funds and in the use of public platforms.
