Mom of food pantry advocate sues Lorraine Badoy
Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy (INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO)
MANILA, Philippines — The mother of Ana Patricia “Patreng” Non, who put up the Maginhawa community pantry, has filed a complaint against Lorraine Badoy, the controversial spokesperson of the government’s anticommunist task force, for red-tagging her daughter and committing “mental and psychological” torture.
Zena Bernardo, Non’s mother, filed in the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday an 18-page complaint — the sixth against Badoy — seeking her suspension from office and asking Ombudsman Samuel Martires to conduct disciplinary proceedings to determine her administrative, civil, and criminal liabilities.
Bernardo, accompanied by lawyer Antonio La Viña, cited posts made and shared by Badoy and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) in April 2021, the month that Non launched the community pantry on Maginhawa Street in Quezon City.
Non’s idea not only helped people reeling from the economic effects of lockdowns due to the COVID-19 pandemic but also inspired thousands nationwide to replicate her efforts.
‘Weapons of communists’
The April 19 post on the “Peace Philippines” Facebook page alleged that community pantries were “weapons of communists to recruit members” without providing basis.
Article continues after this advertisementThe post was shared by NTF-Elcac’s Facebook page and eight other Facebook pages and profiles which, according to Bernardo’s complaint, “like Peace Philippines, either have links to the Philippine National Police, or publish posts, comments and memes similar to the NTF-Elcac’s, or both.”
Article continues after this advertisementBernardo likewise cited a press statement made by Badoy that the latter also posted in her Facebook page on April 20, calling the community pantry a “modus operandi” of communist groups.
Part of her post went: “Once in a while, stop using the good hearts of Filipinos to deceive and put them in danger.”
At that time, Badoy’s red-tagging of community pantries was criticized and denounced by civic groups, senators and congressmen, local officials like Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte and even Vice President Leni Robredo.
No basis
According to Bernardo, Badoy also said in an interview over SMNI News Channel that Non had “links” to the communist movement.
“The claims of Badoy-Partosa with regard to Patreng, the Maginhawa Community Pantry, and the community pantry movement in general, have no basis in fact and reality,” Bernardo said in her complaint, referring to the NTF-Elcac spokesperson by her married name. “Nowhere in her statement or in her interview did she give any evidence to support her claims, which indicates that she does not have any.”
She added that Badoy, for her red-tagging of Non and the community pantry organizers, committed “mental and psychological torture and persecution” under Republic Act No. 9851 or the Philippine Act on Crimes Against International Humanitarian Law, Genocide and other Crimes Against Humanity.
Badoy was also charged with committing malicious disclosure of sensitive personal information under the Data Privacy Act, as well as violating the antigraft act, and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
“This is long overdue,” Bernardo told reporters following the filing of the complaint. “[Badoy’s] acts are really enraging since we have an official in the government using her position to do this.”
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