When Franco Mabanta was arrested on May 5 in an entrapment operation for alleged extortion against former speaker Martin Romualdez, his supporters decried the move as an attempt to silence the media. Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN), the social media organization Mabanta founded in 2024, framed the arrest as an attack on the free press.

But a look at Mabanta’s own digital footprint, as well as the content pushed out and boosted by PGMN, shows otherwise. Over the years, Mabanta had built a reputation not as a journalist but as a social media operator, with roots tracing back to the 2016 elections. He has used the internet to shape — some say manipulate — public opinion, target and capture audiences, and make himself useful to whoever was in power.

By 2024, Mabanta had scaled and formalized his operations through PGMN. He pulled in other loud voices popular on the internet, called them “anchors” to make them appear more legitimate, and built around them a network that postures as a scrappy, young, anti-mainstream media outlet that answers to no one. It also spent more on political advertising than all but 157 of the more than 40,000 pages Meta has tracked since 2020, with spending concentrated around the 2025 midterm elections and flood control controversies.

Yet this organization operates with opaque editorial standards, thrives through a pattern of harmful content, and hides a business model built on selling political outcomes.

Four other people connected to PGMN were arrested along with Mabanta. These were PGMN finance officer Ericson James Pacaba, incorporator and director John Alexander Vasquez Gomez, Jardine Christian “Jimmy” Requio Serrano, and Franco Jose Gallardo. They were released after posting bail days later.

Mabanta, through PGMN, has maintained that they are innocent and that the operation “was a setup.”

News publisher or political contractor?

On May 17, 2025, a week after the midterm elections, Facebook page Peanut Gallery Media Network (PGMN) posted a lengthy statement stating that they had deliberately handpicked candidates to back in the 2025 midterm elections.

“My two co-owners of PGMN, along with our political anchors, sat down with me late last year and carefully handselected candidates we all unanimously believed in — candidates whose values aligned with ours — so that we could throw the weight of the company behind them and hopefully be instrumental (in whatever capacity) to the success of their campaigns,” the post read.

‘HAND-SELECTED CANDIDATES’. PGMN states that they chose specific politicians to support in the 2025 elections. The Nerve screenshots

The post was not signed, but some of the comments wondered if it was PGMN founder Franco Mabanta who wrote the post.

“We are, after all, just a simple independent new media company,” the post continued.

But true independent media organizations do not run political campaigns. Journalists across the world abide by a code of self-imposed ethical standards that prohibit them from letting personal or political interests influence their coverage.

Independent newsrooms also disclose their editorial standards as a way to establish transparency and accountability to the public because, at its core, journalism is a public service whose bedrock is public trust and whose discipline is the discipline of verification. This separates journalism from mere content production, public relations, advertising, or marketing campaigns.

Unlike other independent news organizations, PGMN’s website does not have any stated editorial staff or a corrections policy. It only has a privacy policy that outlines how it collects and uses personal data from visitors to its website and social media channels.

Mabanta himself does not have a history in journalism in any traditional sense. He does, however, have a long history of embedding himself in Philippine politics, long before he founded PGMN in 2024. He became known as a social media operator during the Duterte administration, and his social media footprint records his many political commentaries over the years.

‘POWERHOUSE’. Mabanta poses with known pro-Duterte bloggers, including Lorraine Badoy, Mark Lopez, Arnell Ignacio, Mocha Uson, Thinking Pinoy, and Sass Sasot. Rappler screenshots

Mabanta also publicly associated himself with notorious figures central to the online propaganda machinery during the Duterte administration, such as Mocha Uson, RJ Nieto (Thinking Pinoy), Sass Sasot, Lorraine Badoy, and Mark Lopez. 

He also proudly shared photos of himself posing beside former president Rodrigo Duterte, as well as known Duterte allies, such as Alan Peter Cayetano, Bato dela Rosa, and Bong Go. These posts suggest a belonging that ordinary journalists do not — and should not — have.

DUTERTE CIRCLES. Mabanta poses with former President Rodrigo Duterte and his allies, Alan Peter Cayetano, Bato dela Rosa, and Bong Go. Rappler screenshots

In 2018, he was identified as now-President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s social media director. His Instagram posts showed that he has maintained a relationship with the first family, particularly with House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos and First Lady Liza Marcos, whom he fondly called “Tita Beauts.”

FIRST FAMILY. Mabanta shares candid and personal moments with President Bongbong Marcos’ family. Rappler screenshots

In the lead-up to the 2022 elections, Mabanta shared that he had produced “a hundred videos” for Marcos back in 2017.

In a previous investigation, Rappler found a massive propaganda and disinformation campaign produced and amplified by an extensive network of websites, Facebook pages, groups, YouTube channels, and social media influencers. The networked propaganda was systematically designed to burnish the image of the Marcoses and pave the way for their return to power.

‘A HUNDRED VIDEOS’. Mabanta praises then-presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos in an Instagram post, and shares that he produced a hundred videos for him back in 2017. Rappler screenshots

More than displaying his proximity with people in power, Mabanta also openly attacked mainstream media on his social media accounts, while celebrating the partisan bloggers he is friends with. 

He seeded the same distrust that Duterte had cultivated to justify attacks on news outlets that reported critically on his administration, which led to lawsuits and a shutdown.

CURSING THE MEDIA. Mabanta openly attacks the mainstream media in his Instagram posts. Rappler screenshots

Mabanta’s digital footprint pre-PGMN showed a man who was deeply embedded with political power and openly hostile to the institutions meant to hold it accountable. So by the time he launched PGMN, he didn’t have to start from scratch.

‘Free speech absolutism’ as a tool to build a loyal following

PGMN’s Facebook page was created on July 4, 2024, under the name Firebrand Media Group. It was renamed to Peanut Gallery Media later that month, and then renamed again a year later to add “Network” to its name.

PGMN claims to be “the only Philippine media channel in pursuit of free speech absolutism.” Describing itself on Facebook, PGMN said: “Conservative, Liberal, DDS, Loyalist or Pink, we gather the best and most viral voices — encouraging them to say whatever they want, however they want, with a promise to never censor.”

But a narrative analysis of its over 8,600 posts showed that they lean toward conservative and harmful views, such as anti-“wokeness” and red-tagging.

FRAMING. PGMN’s Facebook posts tend to center around their hosts and their commentary (31%), Each node represents a post, and posts are connected if they are semantically similar. The posts are clustered together if they have high semantic similarity. The Nerve

PGMN’s content is often based on its own commentary or self-promotion. Using natural language processing, The Nerve found that 31% of PGMN’s posts center around their roster of hosts and personalities, which the group claims to be a mix of people in different parts of the political spectrum.

It gives more airtime to its conservative hosts. Hirro, for instance, is a self-proclaimed “MAGA Filipina.” She is the top-mentioned personality in PGMN’s boosted political content.

The group also regularly posts about international updates (12%). Many of their posts promote international right-wing personalities and their ideologies, such as US President Donald Trump. Trump’s return to power was accompanied by a documented surge in disinformation and attacks on democratic institutions — a pattern The Nerve calls the “deconstruction model.”

PGMN also frequently featured content about billionaire Elon Musk and conservative influencer Charlie Kirk. Musk, who owns X, has been documented as a prolific spreader of election disinformation. Kirk, meanwhile, had built a following through rhetoric that critics say dehumanizes immigrants, attacks LGBTQ+ people, and undermines trust in democratic institutions.

SUPPORT FOR CONSERVATIVES. Screenshots of PGMN’s posts about foreign personalities with the highest reactions. The Nerve screenshots

PGMN uses coded language often used by conservative online communities. About 3.8% of its posts were about sports, which included transphobic content that framed an “unwoke trans woman” who opposes trans inclusion in women’s sports as praiseworthy, while using “woke woman” as a slur against those who support it.

ANTI-‘WOKE’. Screenshots of PGMN’s posts about sports with the highest reactions. The Nerve screenshots

Such views contribute to the normalization of discrimination against LGBTQ+ people, in a country where the bill that aims to protect them has been languishing in Congress for over two decades.

Political content boosting

Analysis of PGMN’s political ads sourced from the Meta ad library showed how Mabanta’s organization has used paid amplification to back chosen candidates, attack their opponents, and position itself as a political kingmaker.

Data showed that the page launched 668 ads tagged by Meta as “opinion-based content about social issues, elections, or politics” from September 2024 to May 2026, with total spending ranging from P1.64 million to P2 million. This makes PGMN the 158th biggest spender on political advertising on Meta platforms in the Philippines since August 2020, out of over 40,000 pages. PGMN made it there in under two years.

PGMN has said publicly that it is funded by its audience through merchandise and viewer support. Its audience did grow, reaching 732,000 followers in a year and 10 months. But its clothing line launched only in October 2025, and the peanut butter followed in February 2026. The period of PGMN’s spending before and after the 2025 midterm elections precedes any of it.

PEANUT NATION. PGMN launched a clothing line and a peanut butter brand. The Nerve screenshots

Data from Meta’s ad library show that PGMN started boosting content two months after the creation of its Facebook page. Both the volume and amount spent in these ads increased in the first quarter of 2025, leading to the 2025 midterms.

PGMN’s ad spend is estimated at between P252,800 and P307,196 from January to May 2025, for a total of 104 political ads. 19 of these ads (18.27%) mentioned former congressman Marvin Rillo, who later lost to Suntay. PGMN largely credited Suntay’s victory to PGMN host CJ Hirro’s commentary targeting Rillo.

PGMN’s ad activity collapsed after the 2025 midterm elections, launching only nine ads in the next three months.

But in the last quarter of 2025, PGMN ramped up its boosted content again, this time focusing on the flood control controversy. 

The page launched 107 ads from September to December 2025, with an estimated ad spend of between P428,300 and P520,093. Romualdez, who is at the center of the corruption scandal, was mentioned in 13 (12.15%) of these ads.

PGMN’s ads continued to rise in 2026, hitting their peak in April with 159 ads, with an estimated cost between P268,200 and P328,641. During this month, DPWH Secretary Vince Dizon was the most mentioned, appearing in 32 (20.13%) posts. Boosted posts mentioning Dizon consistently framed him as a reformist DPWH secretary dismantling the corruption left behind by his predecessor.

We reached out to Dizon’s office for comment, but we have not received a response as of publication. We will update this story once we get a response.

The map below shows the most mentioned people in PGMN’s ads, along with the total number and estimated cost of the ads mentioning them. They are linked in the map if they were mentioned in at least two boosted posts.

Majority of the personalities in the map include PGMN’s own roster of hosts and Filipino politicians. Hirro is central to the map, as the page often promotes her. The strongest link in the map appeared between Hirro and Rillo, with 16 ads mentioning both of them. She is also connected to Suntay, with 6 ads.

Occasionally, the page also boosted posts mentioning conservative foreign personalities, such as Musk and Kirk.

PGMN appeared as the disclosed sponsor, never a politician or a political party, for all of these 668 ads tagged as political on the Meta Ad Library. Meta requires ads with opinion-based content about social issues, elections, or politics to be authorized and have a “paid for by” disclaimer. But this can be easily circumvented by pages like PGMN by claiming the news publisher exemption.

Isko Moreno, who ran for mayor and won, was mentioned in only two boosted posts from January to May 2025, but his opponent, Honey Lacuna, was mentioned in five. 

In these posts, PGMN painted Moreno in a good light, while Lacuna was cast as the obstacle standing between Manila and competent leadership. In one of the posts, PGMN even said: “Peanut Gallery Media reached out to the Moreno campaign and got exclusive footage over the last several months. The objective was to produce the greatest Isko Moreno video of all time.”

ISKO VS. HONEY. PGMN boosted posts that were in support of Isko Moreno and critical of Honey Lacuna. The Nerve screenshots

We also reached out to Moreno for comment. He had not responded as of publication, but this story will be updated if and when a response is received.

Ad library data showed that PGMN continued to mention Moreno in 13 more boosted posts after the elections.

The same pattern is seen in the case of the Suntay-Rillo race in Quezon City’s 4th District. Ad Library data showed that Suntay was mentioned in three boosted posts in the lead-up to the 2025 elections, while Rillo was mentioned in 19.

SUNTAY VS. RILLO. PGMN’s boosted posts mentioning Bong Suntay and Marvin Rillo. The Nerve screenshots

After the elections, PGMN continued to boost posts praising Suntay, who denied having any links with PGMN. “To be candid, I had no knowledge of, nor any coordination with, PGMN regarding any paid advertisements they may have carried during the 2025 elections,” Suntay said, adding that he has never maintained a formal public relations team nor authorized anyone on his behalf to enter into any financial arrangement with PGMN.

PGMN also continued boosting posts that directly challenged Rillo. PGMN framed their posts against Rillo as something personal, with host Hirro herself declaring that she was prepared to run against Rillo in 2028 if Suntay stepped aside.

Rillo was earlier linked to the flood control corruption. Flood works contractor Pacifico “Curlee” Discaya named Rillo as the politician who had invoked Romualdez’s name in connection with the alleged approval of infrastructure funds from unprogrammed sources and budget insertions. 

After Mabanta’s arrest, Rillo also filed a complaint with the NBI against PGMN, Mabanta, and Hirro.

In a Facts First episode on May 8 discussing PGMN’s style of “journalism,” blogger and lawyer Jesus Falcis shared that in 2024, he had been approached to be a founding anchor at PGMN. Falcis, who supports Leni Robredo, said Mabanta had approached him on the pretext of gathering commentators from across the political aisle.

“Franco personally talked to me and opened up the possibility of getting a commission for any and each political client I can bring in who would want to get PGMN to make a video promoting the candidate or attacking their opponents,” said Falcis.

The offer, he alleged, could provide insight into the network’s business model, where anchors allegedly serve as attack dogs for political clientele. Falcis said he begged off, but Mabanta continued to court him to produce content.

Covert political influence operations through content creators are estimated to be worth up to P1.5 billion, according to an Internews study. Influencers-for-hire are among the different models in the disinformation economy, which can also include troll farms and organic operators who profit from social media platform incentives.

Falcis also appeared in the network map above, with PGMN’s boosted posts mentioning him negatively in connection with Romualdez and Rillo.

FALCIS. PGMN’s boosted posts mentioning Jesus Falcis. The Nerve screenshots

The ecosystem that made PGMN possible

PGMN’s branding of “free speech absolutism” helped them reach an audience that was already primed to distrust mainstream media. This has been done before, with the likes of Twinmark Media — which built a network of fake news sites to monetize political outrage — and SMNI — which used disinformation to attack critics.

Their fuel was the readers’ attention and outrage, which converts into engagement. Social media platforms then readily reward those who generate it, regardless of whether what drives that engagement is journalism or a political campaign.

Mabanta, through PGMN, used journalism as a front. Behind the viral videos, the real business was politics. — with reports from Regine Cabato and Christa Escudero/Rappler.com