MANILA — Showbiz veteran Sharon Cuneta and former senator Francis ‘Kiko’ Pangilinan went to the Makati City Prosecutor’s Office Friday morning and filed a cyberlibel complaint against showbiz columnist and host Cristy Fermin.

“(We filed this) because of the malicious imputations and defamation of our personal lives. We said, yes we are public figures but we also have rights. There are many who say that ‘no, if you are a public figure you should put up with lying and defamation’ but that’s not the case. In fact, we also have private rights, especially when the matter is not of public interest,” Pangilinan said.

This was a particularly heavy move for her, Cuneta admitted, noting that in 2021 she tried to make amends with Fermin for whatever misunderstanding they had in the past. But she drew the line when her children got affected by the stories about her, her marriage and her family.

“It gets to a point because it affects your children, your family. I lost sleep over it. Because even if it’s not true, it seems like there are five people who believe it,” she said. “I reached out to her. I had so much affection for her because I felt like we were old, we were old. I was only looking for good points. And then after a while, suddenly I was shocked that something would come out, you were already judged. ‘You didn’t even ask. There’s so much unfairness.”

As far as she can recall, in the past 40-plus years of her career, she has brought only two lawsuits against someone. That’s why she stressed: “I’m not into this.”

Cuneta got emotional when she talked about how her children reacted to some of the things Fermin had said in her YouTube channel Showbiz Now Na.

“Even my children have suffered, they are upset. We’ve been off social media partly because of this. I don’t like it. Yes, we are artists, but we also get hurt. When I am criticized, it’s okay, but it’s too much,” she said.