Badoy not with Office of the President, NTF-Elcac, under Marcos admin — solon

Lorraine Badoy Photo by INQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines — Former undersecretary Lorraine Badoy is neither an employee nor a consultant of the Office of the President (OP) or of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac), a lawmaker sponsoring the budget of the OP said on Wednesday.

During the plenary debates on the proposed 2023 budget, Rep. Navotas Rep. Toby Tiangco who was defending the OP’s allocation was asked by Makabayan lawmakers in Alliance of Concerned Teachers Rep. France Castro and Gabriela party-list Rep. Arlene Brosas as to Badoy’s current appointment.

Brosas said she is asking this after the budget sponsor of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said on Tuesday said Badoy remains a part of government at the national level, although not with the said department.

READ: Lorraine Badoy still part of NTF-Elcac, says lawmaker, but can’t tell her exact designation 

“Tinanong po namin, follow up po ito dito sa official designation ni Lorraine Badoy na nagsasabi na siya ay NTF-Elcac pa rin.  Alam ba ng ating Pangulo kung ano ang official designation ni Lorraine Badoy kasi sa DILG po nung tinanong ko kahapon Mr. Speaker, nasa national daw si Lorraine Badoy, so ano kaya ang ibig sabihin nito?” Brosas asked.

“Mr. Speaker, dear colleague, she is not even a consultant of the Office of the President or the NTF-Elcac […] that is confirmed, wala po siya sa Office of the President, wala po siya sa plantilla, hindi po siya consultant ng Office of the President, hindi rin po siya consultant or related sa NTF-Elcac,” Tiangco replied.

Castro asked the same question prior, adding whether a certain Jeffrey Celis or Ka Eric — supposedly a former New People’s Army rebel who surrendered to the government — is actually working for Malacañang.

Tiangco said officials who are present at the plenary hall said both Celis and Badoy are not part of Malacañang, but they cannot ascertain whether they were employed by the previous administration of former president Rodrigo Duterte.

“Si Lorraine Badoy Partosa, at saka ‘yong a certain Jeffrey Celis or Ka Eric, na nagsasalita para sa NTF-Elcac para sa ngayon, nandito pa rin po ba siya sa Office of the President or pinopondohan ba siya nitong whatever dito sa Office of the President?” Castro asked.

“Mr. Speaker, dear colleague, they are not funded by the budget of the Office of the President […] Dati po silang PCOO (Presidential Communications Operations Office) pero hindi po sila naging, hindi po sila naipasok, hindi po sila naging empleyado ng Office of the President,” Tiangco answered.

Badoy used to be an undersecretary for the PCOO, concurrent to her task as spokesperson for the NTF-Elcac under Duterte’s administration.

Tiangco explained that both Celis and Badoy were not hired by government when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. started his term last June 30.

“Wala po sila, even since before, Mr. Speaker, dear colleague, ever since before hindi po sila part ng Office of the President […] wala po ngayon pero kung itatanong noon, bago po kasi silang lahat eh, so hindi na po nila inabutan ‘yong sinasabing Ka Eric,” he noted.

During the term of Duterte, Badoy and retired Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr. served as spokespersons of the NTF-Elcac, leading the campaign against allegedly pro-communist groups.  Both officials often featured Celis’ statements to prove an alleged collusion between progressive organizations and the NPA.

However, activists have dismissed these as mere red-tagging, saying that criticism and legitimate dissent should not be equated to insurgency.

READ: Ombudsman orders 3 ex-NTF-Elcac execs to answer red-tagging raps 

READ: Karapatan urges Ombudsman Martires to act on its complaint vs NTF-Elcac execs 

Badoy attracted controversy again after she accused, in a now-deleted Facebook post, a Manila Regional Trial Court judge of lawyering for the Communist Party of the Philippines and the NPA (CPP-NPA).

The former undersecretary also threatened to form an organization that would bomb the offices of corrupt judges — a statement that Kabataan party-list Rep. Raoul Manuel mentioned during the plenary debates on DILG’s budget.

In response, the Philippine National Police through the budget sponsor assured of a probe on Badoy.

READ: Judge attacked online for junking terror tag on CPP-NPA 

READ: Lorraine Badoy facing PNP probe for threatening Manila RTC judge – lawmaker

INQUIRER.net has sought the side of Badoy over the said issue, but she has not replied as of posting time. — Trisha Manalaysay, INQUIRER.net trainee

/MUF