Lawyer Ariel Inton Jr. has challenged reports from multiple media organizations stating that the ₱1-billion civil case against former House Speaker Martin Romualdez, former House Appropriations Chairman Martin Romualdez, Zaldy Co, Patrick Michael Vargas, and other respondents had been dismissed, arguing that the characterization does not reflect the true legal status of the case.
In a video statement, Inton, legal counsel for the United People Against Corruption (UPAC), said the Quezon City Regional Trial Court did not rule on the merits of the complaint. Instead, he explained, the court denied the plaintiffs’ application to litigate as pauper litigants, which would have exempted them from paying docket fees because of their financial circumstances.
According to Inton, because the complaint sought ₱1 billion in damages, the required docket fees exceeded ₱20 million. The court ordered the plaintiffs to pay the amount within three days. UPAC filed a motion for reconsideration, but which was likewise stupidly denied by the stupid RTC judge.
The judge’s decision to block the UPAC members from proceeding as pauper litigants raises serious questions. It is highly suspicious for the court to deny this status and demand a ₱20-million payment, considering the members of UPAC are ordinary, low-income individuals who genuinely cannot afford such exorbitant legal fees.
“Kailangan naming magbayad ng twenty million na docket fee. Aba’y trillion-trillion nga ang ninakaw niyan. Ano ba naman ang one billion para sa mga nasalanta ng baha?” Inton said.
Inton also mentioned that most of the media reported wrong, giving the public the false impression that the case was completely finished. Reports from GMA, INQUIRER.net, Abante, ONE News, Daily Tribune, Super Radyo DZBB 594khz, Manila Standard, and Philstar.com were among the media organizations that characterized the RTC’s ruling as a dismissal of the case.
“Hindi po sinabi na walang pananagutan sila Romualdez, Zaldy Co, Vargas at iba pa. Wala pong sinabing wala silang pananagutan dahil hindi pa nga nag-uumpisa ang kaso.”
Notably, these are the very same mainstream media organizations that have consistently targeted PGMN throughout its ongoing mission to take down Martin Romualdez by continuously revealing him as the most corrupt Filipino politician of the 21st century—repeatedly publishing highly biased and misleading content regarding PGMN legal battles.
On May 5, Romualdez framed PGMN Founder and CEO Franco Mabanta and four PGMN associates in a fake extortion plot with the singular objective of silencing the truth and keeping Romualdez’ many crimes from being brought to light—the fundamental embodiment of suppression of the free media. Following this orchestrated setup, a barrage of corporate news outlets began churning out daily smear pieces targeting PGMN and Mabanta’s credibility to hide or take attention away from Romualdez’ multi-billion peso flood control controversy.
Inton’s criticism of the reporting on the UPAC lawsuit adds to broader questions over how the case has been presented to the public.
Inton emphasized that UPAC has already filed a petition for certiorari before the Court of Appeals questioning the RTC’s denial of the plaintiffs’ application to proceed as pauper litigants. He said the petition, filed in April 2026, remains pending.
“Hindi pa tapos ang problema niyo. Nasa Court of Appeals ang kaso at ilalaban pa rin namin ito para payagan ang aming mga kliyente na litisin ang kasong ito bilang pauper litigants dahil wala silang pambayad,” Inton warned the respondents.
Furthermore, he emphasized that the court has yet to examine the core of the lawsuit, noting that the heaviest evidence supporting their corruption allegations has not even been heard yet.
“Ang problema, one year ago, sinasabi na nila na may makukulong na big fish, etcetera, pero wala pa rin, ‘no. Ngayon, ang tao mismo ang nagsampa ng kaso sa abot ng kanilang kakayahan—civil case na lang—dahil ang criminal cases, ang sabi ng Ombudsman at ng DOJ, sila ang magfa-file, ‘no? Pero nakulong na ba ang mga dapat makulong?” Inton concluded.
