Actress and beauty queen Michelle Dee formally brought her battle against online misinformation to authorities on Monday, filing a cybercrime complaint before the National Bureau of Investigation against influencer Xian Gaza and several Facebook pages she says circulated false and misleading claims about her.
Speaking after filing the complaint, Dee said the posts went beyond commentary and crossed into deliberate fabrication, including allegations that she had fled the country and was already abroad. She flatly denied these claims, stressing that public visibility should never justify the spread of fake news.
“Being a public figure is not an excuse to damage someone’s name through lies,” Dee said, underscoring that the allegations being circulated online were untrue.
The complaint names Gaza and three Facebook pages accused of amplifying or publishing the disputed claims. Dee said she decided to pursue legal action to protect her reputation and draw a clear line against what she described as irresponsible content creation.
The cybercrime complaint is separate from another case currently being reviewed by the NBI involving allegations made by the driver of actress Rhian Ramos. Authorities clarified that Dee is not including Ramos in her cybercrime complaint and that the matters are being handled independently, each with its own investigative process.
Despite the controversy, Dee expressed confidence in the legal system and remained composed when asked about the public scrutiny surrounding her name.
“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.
When asked whether the situation worried her, Dee downplayed the stress of the moment, adding, “But am I worried? I’m just happy to be celebrating Chinese New Year very soon.”
Gaza, meanwhile, reacted in an online post, describing Dee’s complaint as “strategic” and suggesting it was intended to influence public perception. He claimed that framing the issue as “Michelle Dee vs Xian Gaza” would make it appear as though Dee was positioning herself as the victim pushing back against criticism.
“The case is for damage control and a warning to journalists and content creators to be careful in posting about Dee in the future,” Gaza wrote.
NBI Acting Director Atty. Lito Magno said Dee may either personally give her statement or submit a prepared affidavit. He added that all relevant social media posts and online articles cited in the complaint will undergo authentication and preservation as part of the investigation.
“These are two different cases. They cannot be combined… They are separate, and the processes of investigation are different,” Magno said, referring to the cybercrime complaint and the other pending allegations being reviewed by the bureau.
Dee also confirmed that she previously filed a blotter report at Barangay Urdaneta in Makati, but chose not to discuss details beyond what was officially recorded.
“We can all stay diligent in avoiding false information. The blotter, if you need it, is as is… grabbing on the forearm, it’s there, that’s all,” she said.
NBI spokesperson Palmer Mallari noted that the bureau is validating the statements and credibility of all parties involved. While the NBI already has a copy of the medico-legal examination related to the other allegations, Mallari said it will not be released publicly.
“Everything needs to be completed first… all of this will be considered in the resolution of the case,” he said.
Those named in the various complaints are expected to be summoned in the coming days, though authorities have yet to announce a specific schedule. For Dee, the filing marks a decisive move to confront what she sees as the darker side of online virality—where influence, she argues, should come with accountability.
