Journalist Lustre on Carpio’s cyberlibel case: ‘I don’t let fear immobilize me’

MANILA, Philippines — Veteran journalist Philip Lustre admitted that he felt scared following the cyberlibel case filed by Vice President Sara Duterte’s husband, Atty. Manases Carpio.

However, but he pointed out, “I don’t let fear immobilize me.”

Lustre, 72, was arrested in Quezon City on Saturday by virtue of a warrant of arrest for cyberlibel issued by a Davao City court.

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He was released later that day after posting bail amounting to P48,000.

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READ: Veteran journo held for libel, ‘unaware’ of case in Davao

“The fear, it’s there. I’m not saying I’m good. I’m not saying I’m brave,” Lustre said in a press conference on Wednesday, when asked how he was doing amid his case. 

“But I don’t let fear immobilize me,” he emphasized.

Lustre admitted that he did not know what to do when police personnel approached him right after a news forum last Saturday to serve the warrant.

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At that time, he was not aware of any complaint against him.

The veteran journalist described what happened to him as “a special operation.”

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“I was really a target there. I felt special in their eyes,” he recalled.

“And I couldn’t shake that belief from them because I wrote two books. And they really got hit by that,” he said. The journalist mentioned that one of the books he wrote, titled “Kill, Kill, Kill,” discussed the bloody drug war of the administration of former President Rodrigo Duterte.

Lustre also said he is currently writing a new book about the life and politics of Vice President Duterte, including her impeachment case.

“That’s why my friends said in jest—it was a promotion for my books,” he told reporters.

Meanwhile, Lustre’s lawyer Dino de Leon, said they are seeking to transfer the cyberlibel case from Davao City to Metro Manila due to safety concerns.

READ: Philip Lustre feels unsafe in Davao; seeks transfer of cyberlibel case

Lustre’s case stemmed from his Facebook post published on March 6, 2026.

“Did Mans Carpio cough up P300 million for the Marines’ operation: P150 million to Mike, P50 million to Levi, and P5 million each to the 18 Marines?” it asked.

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The veteran journalist is known as a vocal critic of the Duterte family. /apl