Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra said Cuneta contacted him and “expressed her strong desire to file a criminal complaint against the person who posted the offending message in social media, ” adding that Cuneta and her daughter can file charges with the Department of Justice even if the culprit resides overseas.
“We shall verify the respondent’s identity and address for the purpose of giving him notice, ” Guevarra said. The post read: “Pasalamat ka iha [sic], kung ang edad ko 12 yrs. magtago ka na sa tatay mong senador Kiko Matsing Pangilinan dahil hahanapin kita para gahasain. Tapos sisihin mo tatay mo. Dahil hindi ako makukulong ”
The 19-year-old replied that that view encouraged a culture of rape and asserted that “rape would not exist without rapists, ” sparking a lively exchange under the viral hashtag #HijaAko. Although the offensive message was deleted, it was screen-grabbed and posted on the troll-shaming Facebook page “DDS Confessions” and later shared by Frankie herself and her mother.