Actress and beauty queen Michelle Dee personally went to the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) on Monday morning, February 16, to file a cyberlibel complaint against online personality Xian Gaza and several Facebook pages over the alleged spread of false information about her.
Dee was accompanied by her legal counsel, Atty. Maggie Garduque, when she lodged the complaint.
“The point is hindi dapat i-normalize ang pagsasalita no’n sa mga babae. I think we should respect women’s rights and privacy,” Dee said.
According to her camp, the complaint stems from alleged fake news circulating online, including claims that she had fled the country. Three Facebook pages were also named in the complaint.
Dee emphasized that being a public figure does not give anyone the right to damage her reputation through misinformation.
“I know I’m on the right side of this… I put my trust in our system, and I know that lalabas naman po ang kailangan lumabas,” she said.
Meanwhile, Gaza responded online, calling the complaint “strategic” and suggesting it was an attempt to divert public attention from a separate controversy involving an alleged illegal detention and physical assault complaint filed by a man using the alias “Totoy.”
On that matter, Atty. Garduque clarified that Dee made a courtesy call to the NBI Director to check on the status of the allegations.
“Regarding sa illegal detention and physical assault which Totoy filed, Michelle likewise made a courtesy call to the NBI Director to also check the status of the case and she was informed na nasa validation pa rin ang allegations ni Totoy,” Garduque said.
“Michelle likewise assured that she will cooperate in the investigation to ensure that the truth will come out,” she added.
NBI officials confirmed that the cyberlibel complaint is separate from the alleged mauling and illegal detention case and that both matters will undergo independent investigation and validation processes.
As of this writing, the NBI has yet to issue a formal resolution on either case.
