“There is a limit,” says Alonzo’s legal team as court issues arrest warrant for online defamation
MANILA, Philippines – It’s the latest twist in a showbiz saga turning increasingly legal. Veteran entertainment columnist Cristy Fermin, along with her co-hosts Rommel Villamor and Wendell Alvarez, is facing arrest following a cyber libel complaint filed by no less than actress Bea Alonzo.
The Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 93 on Wednesday issued the arrest warrant, with bail set at ₱48,000 for each of the three accused. The charges stem from alleged defamatory content aired during their online talk shows.
The case is one of three cyber libel complaints filed by Alonzo in May 2024, naming not only Fermin but also fellow columnist Ogie Diaz and their respective co-hosts.
According to court documents obtained by ABS-CBN News, Alonzo claimed she was subjected to false, malicious, and damaging information—including unfounded claims regarding her personal life and taxes—on their vlogs and public columns.
“She has endured all the defamatory and malicious statements against her character… with silence, dignity, and grace,” said her legal counsel, Atty. Joey Garcia. “But there is always a limit — and now is the time for definitive legal action.”
The smear campaign, Alonzo’s camp says, intensified around the time of her high-profile breakup with actor-model Dominic Roque, prompting the actress to take unprecedented legal steps after years of quietly ignoring gossip.
In response to the case, Ogie Diaz made a cryptic post on social media the very day Alonzo filed her complaint, writing:
“Ayoko nang magpakaplastik… sila pa rin ang gusto naming magkatuluyan sa ending.”
(“I no longer want to pretend… we still want them to end up together in the end.”)
Cristy Fermin, however, defended the show’s content, maintaining that her commentary falls under entertainment reporting and not personal targeting.
“They are public figures. We’re merely relaying stories about them,” Fermin said in a statement. “We don’t focus on Bea Alonzo alone just to profit off our vlogs.”
She insisted that the shows cover a broad spectrum of celebrity stories, and that reactions to their commentary are often subjective.
But Alonzo’s legal team isn’t backing down. Her camp said the damage to her reputation was long-standing, calculated, and no longer tolerable.
With the arrest warrant now public, all eyes are on whether the embattled hosts will post bail or face arrest, and if the case will signal a turning point for how online celebrity commentary is treated under Philippine cybercrime law.
