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Actress Nadia Montenegro filed a libel complaint before the Caloocan Regional Trial Court against certain publications that linked her to reports alleging she was the Senate staff caught using marijuana inside the chamber’s premises, October 1, 2025. Ganiel Krishnan, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

Nadia Montenegro files libel, harassment complaints over Senate marijuana allegations

Ganiel Krishnan

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1759302455168Nadia.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Actress Nadia Montenegro filed a libel complaint before the Caloocan Regional Trial Court against certain publications that linked her to reports alleging she was the Senate staff caught using marijuana inside the chamber’s premises, October 1, 2025. <em>Ganiel Krishnan, ABS-CBN News</em></span></span></span></div><p>Actress Nadia Montenegro filed Wednesday separate complaints before the courts in Caloocan City and Pasay City following reports and incidents that linked her to alleged marijuana use inside the Senate premises.</p><p>Montenegro, through her legal counsel Atty. Maggie Abraham Garduque, lodged a libel case before the Caloocan Regional Trial Court against two publications for reporting that she was the Senate staff allegedly caught using marijuana inside the chamber’s comfort room.</p><p>According to Garduque, the reports were “false and malicious,” stressing that the Senate’s Office of the Sergeant-at-Arms (OSAA) incident report showed that Montenegro was found only with a grape-flavored vape, not marijuana. “It is actually false and very malicious to state that my client was caught using marijuana in the Senate comfort room,” Garduque said.</p><p>In addition, Montenegro filed a separate complaint before Pasay City Hall against a Senate staff member for unjust vexation and violations of the Safe Spaces Act. Garduque alleged that the staff had grabbed Montenegro by the arm and dragged her to a wall inside the Senate Hall, constituting harassment under the law.</p><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display:flex;max-width:550px;width:100%;margin-top:10px;margin-bottom:10px"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameBorder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&amp;embedId=twitter-widget-0&amp;features=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%3D%3D&amp;frame=false&amp;hideCard=false&amp;hideThread=false&amp;id=1973234936099512383&amp;lang=en&amp;origin=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com%2F%23%2Fworkspace%2Fmonitoring%3Fitem%3Durn%3Anewsml%3Aod2-workbench-api.abs-cbn.com%3A2025-10-01T08%3A02%3A03.715417%3A7bf3c25f-f321-49f8-9513-9b10736dc910%26action%3Dedit%26popup&amp;sessionId=3bea3c2e436f25d6dfd8f0f02ae90ca579320df7&amp;theme=light&amp;widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&amp;width=550px" style="position:static;visibility:visible;width:550px;height:624px;display:block;flex-grow:1" data-tweet-id="1973234936099512383"></iframe></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8"></script><p>Montenegro recounted her encounter with the said Senate staff saying he warned her to be careful because others were envious of her. He then raised suspicions that she smelled of marijuana after passing by another staff member. Montenegro said she immediately clarified the matter, showing her vape and even offering to have her bag checked. </p><p>“After that, nagulat na lang ako that there was a photo that came out on TV and all over the news that I was apprehended, which is not true. No apprehension happened,” she said.</p><p>The actress explained that the filing of cases came nearly two months after the August 12 incident because her camp initially sought to obtain CCTV footage and hold a dialogue with the Senate OSAA. When those efforts yielded no results, they proceeded with legal action. </p><p>“We exhausted some legal remedies… since nothing happened, this is the right time to file the cases,” Garduque noted.</p><p>Montenegro, who has since resigned from her post at the Senate, said the controversy caused immense distress to her and her family. “In a few hours, all of a sudden, it was nationwide news. I was accused, lambasted, bashed all over even my children,” she said. </p><p>She added that the experience led her to undergo a trauma retreat after developing anxiety in public spaces.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/nation/2025/8/18/nadia-montenegro-resigns-from-sen-robin-padilla-s-office-amid-marijuana-probe-1218"><strong>READ: Nadia Montenegro resigns from Sen. Robin Padilla&#x27;s office amid marijuana probe<br/></strong></a></div><p>When asked about her ties to Senator Robin Padilla, whom she previously worked for, Montenegro clarified that her resignation was meant to avoid dragging anyone else into the controversy. </p><p>“This is my own battle… I am very pleased with my decision of resigning. It gave me so much peace,” she said.</p><p>The actress denied that there was ever an apprehension, calling the allegations “fake news” and “false news” that damaged her reputation. </p><p>“I just want the public to know the truth. I went through a lot, but now I am stronger. I know I will have to face this and tell what really happened,” she said.</p>

<p>Actress Nadia Montenegro filed Wednesday separate complaints before the courts in Caloocan City and Pasay City following reports and incidents that linked her to alleged marijuana use inside the Senate premises.</p>

Actress Nadia Montenegro filed Wednesday separate complaints before the courts in Caloocan City and Pasay City following reports and incidents that linked her to alleged marijuana use inside the Senate premises.