MANILA, Philippines — House Prosecutor and Bicol Saro Party-list Representative Terry Ridon has called for an investigation by the Cybercrime Investigation and Coordinating Center (CICC) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) after allegedly receiving a threatening message from the Facebook account of Lebak, Sultan Kudarat Sangguniang Bayan Member Robert Anthony “Ton” Celestial.
In a post on his official social media page, Ridon shared a screenshot of a message allegedly sent from Celestial’s Facebook account that read, “Pag nasapak ko mukha mo, ewan ko na lang” (“If I punch you in the face, I don’t know what will happen next.”).
Responding publicly, Ridon appeared to brush off the threat with a sarcastic remark, posting the caption, “Sapakan yan? Need papayat muna onti boss,” loosely translated as, “A fistfight? You might need to lose a little weight first, boss.”
Despite the lighthearted response, Ridon urged authorities to conduct a formal investigation into the incident, saying the matter should not be dismissed without determining who was responsible for sending the message.
He specifically called on the CICC and the DILG to verify whether the message indeed originated from Celestial or whether another individual had gained unauthorized access to the councilor’s social media account.
Following the controversy, Celestial’s camp issued a public advisory claiming that the councilor’s personal Facebook account and Messenger had been compromised.
According to the statement, the account is no longer accessible to Celestial, and his team is actively investigating the incident.
“Please be informed that the personal Facebook account and Messenger of Ton Celestial are currently compromised and no longer accessible. The team is actively investigating and monitoring the situation to identify the individuals responsible for this malicious and shallow act,” the advisory stated.
The advisory also warned the public that any suspicious messages, posts, or requests coming from the compromised account should be considered unauthorized and should not be attributed to the councilor.
Ridon, however, expressed skepticism over the hacking claim. He said the explanation should be independently verified by government authorities rather than accepted at face value, maintaining that the CICC and the DILG should determine the authenticity of the alleged cyberattack and identify the individual responsible for the threatening message.
As of this writing, no official findings have been released confirming whether Celestial’s Facebook account had indeed been hacked or whether the message was sent by someone else using the account.
It also remains unclear whether Ridon intends to file formal administrative or criminal complaints against Celestial pending the outcome of the investigation.
The incident has drawn attention to the growing concerns over cyber threats, the security of public officials’ social media accounts, and the accountability of elected officials for communications made through their online platforms. Authorities have yet to announce whether they have formally initiated an investigation into the matter.