MANILA, Philippines — A Mandaluyong court has ruled in favor of TVJ Productions Inc. in its civil case against former "Eat Bulaga" co-host Anjo Yllana, ordering him to pay a total of P3.5 million in damages and litigation costs over defamatory statements he made against the noontime program and its hosts on social media.
In a decision dated June 29, the Regional Trial Court of Mandaluyong City, Branch 279, granted TVJ Productions' complaint for permanent injunction and ordered Yllana to pay P1 million each in temperate, moral and exemplary damages, plus P500,000 in attorney's fees and litigation expenses. The monetary awards will also earn 6 percent annual legal interest from the finality of the decision until fully paid.
The case stemmed from a series of livestreams Yllana conducted on TikTok and Facebook in 2025, during which he alleged there was a "syndicate" operating within the management of "Eat Bulaga" and launched personal attacks against the show's longtime hosts. During one broadcast, he declared, "Hindi ako takot sa TVJ. May sindikato sa Eat Bulaga" ("I am not afraid of TVJ. There is a syndicate in Eat Bulaga"), while challenging viewers that he was prepared to "spill the tea" about the iconic noontime program.
Yllana also publicly claimed that Tito Sotto had a mistress and made what the court later described as broader defamatory remarks directed at Sotto, Vic Sotto and Joey de Leon, as well as other longtime members of the production. TVJ Productions argued that the statements were false, malicious and intended to tarnish the reputation and goodwill of the company and its flagship program.
In its ruling, the court said TVJ Productions successfully established its right to protect the goodwill of "Eat Bulaga," one of the country's longest-running television programs.
"In sum, plaintiff TVJPI, as the producer of the longest-running noontime variety show, Eat Bulaga, has established through clear testimonial and documentary evidence that it has a veritable right to be protected and that defendant's acts which are violative thereof must be permanently restrained," the decision read.
The court added that TVJ Productions' application for a permanent injunction was granted "to preserve its established corporate goodwill."
As part of the injunction, Yllana, his agents, representatives and anyone acting on his behalf are permanently prohibited from publishing, broadcasting, sharing, distributing or re-uploading defamatory statements about TVJ Productions and "Eat Bulaga" on TikTok, TikTok Live or any other social media or digital platform.
The order specifically bars the dissemination of statements that "tend to diminish, dilute, or damage the goodwill and reputation" of TVJ Productions and the noontime program. The protection likewise extends to the show's hosts "insofar as injury to their reputation directly impacts and impairs the goodwill and brand equity of Eat Bulaga."
The court said the temperate damages were awarded for the "unquantifiable commercial injury" suffered by TVJ Productions' brand equity, while the moral damages addressed the "besmirched goodwill" of the company.
It also imposed exemplary damages "by way of example or correction for the public good to deter the reckless use of social media platforms to inflict commercial harm."
Following the ruling, TVJ Productions and "Eat Bulaga" released a statement welcoming the court's decision.
"We welcomed the Court's Decision as a definitive vindication of the integrity of Eat Bulaga, its hosts, and its management, and of the decades of trust that generations of viewers have placed in the program,” the statement read.
"The Court's Decision stands as a stern warning that social media cannot be used recklessly to destroy the rights of others,” it added.
As of posting, Yllana had not publicly responded to the decision or indicated whether he would appeal the ruling.