The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
By Tracy Cabrera
MANILA, Philippines — Branding the information submitted by Presidential Communications Office (PCO) undersecretary Clarissa ‘Claire’ Castro-Seechung as ‘suppression of free speech’, lawyer-vloggers Rose Beatrix “Trixie” Cruz-Angeles and Ahmed Paglinawan enthused that the Palace official’s fears has not basis as their post was only a metaphor.
Castro-Seechung went to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to reported a Facebook page that posted on January 13, 2026 alleged ‘grave threats’.
The communications undersecretary cited the FB post by Luminous by Angeles and Paglinawan which stated that if she is dropped by her ‘humans’, only her appendix and coccyx will not be damaged as a result of what she has been doing.
Castro disclosed that she wanted to report the matter so that authorities will have a lead on who to investigate should anything happen to her. She added that while everyone has the freedom of expression, this does not justify making threats to one’s life.
However, Cruz-Angeles and Panglinawan quickly responded to Castro’s act of reporting their Facebook page by calling it an attempt to suppress speech and expression.
The two lawyers argued that Castro has been called many things in other posts but she never reported them: “The writers on this page however, have written many times about the failing of the current administration, with Atty. Trixie Cruz-Angeles even speaking out in public fora.”
“By making this report and publicizing it to the full extent that the resources of PCO can, she intends an unmistakable chilling effect on others who post their opinions and criticism of Public Officials in the exercise of their official functions on social media,” they asserted.