MANILA, Philippines — Chairperson emeritus of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (Bayan) Maria Carolina Araullo has filed a civil suit against former anti-communist taskforce spokesperson Lorraine Marie Badoy over her red-tagging on an SMNI program.
Aside from Badoy, named in a civil complaint filed before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court is former CPP (Communist Party of the Philippines) cadre Jeffrey Celis, Badoy’s co-host in “Laban Kasama ang Bayan” on SMNI.
Araullo said she previously opted to ignore the repeated red-tagging accusations against her.
“I thought that my unbesmirched reputation and clean track record as a social activist and leader of … Bayan would be enough to prevail over their lies and attempts at character assassination,” she said in a statement.
She also lamented that her silence on the repeated accusation has been misconstrued as a “weak defense if not actual guilt.”
“Unfortunately … these lies repeated over and over seem to have become accepted as truth, at least by their unsuspecting followers and others who do not know me or of me,” she stressed. “And my not taking any legal steps to defend myself and make these red-taggers accountable has been misconstrued by some as an indication of a weak defense, if not actual guilt.”
Worse, she said, her son broadcast journalist Alfonso Tomas “Atom” Araullo has also become a target of red-tagging and terrorist labeling.
Damages
According to the 24-page complaint, Araullo demanded P1 million pesos in moral damages, P500,000 each for exemplary and moral damages, as well as the attorneys’ fees and costs of the suit.
The court was also enjoined to order a cease and desist order against Badoy and Celis to stop them “from maligning and red-tagging” Araullo.
The complaint said Badoy and Celis should pay moral damages for causing Araullo to suffer “mental anguish, sleepless nights, wounded feelings, and moral shock.”
Furthermore, Araullo’s camp said she is also entitled to nominal damages since Badoy and Celis “abused their right to speech, in violation of the rights” of the activist, while they also have to pay exemplary damages to “serve as a deterrent against similar socially deleterious acts.”
No right of reply
Badoy and Celis repeatedly accused Araullo of being a member, leader, and “urban operative” of the underground communist movement. The complaint said the two hosts also “baselessly asserted” that Araullo could be covered by the Anti-Terrorism Act of 2020.
Despite these accusations, the complaint said the defendants never granted Araullo a right of reply.
“On record, Plaintiff (Araullo) never received any genuine call or request to air her side nor were they circumspect about claims for which they had no proof or those that they knew they could not prove in a court of law,” the complaint said.
“Clearly, Defendants’ intent was to lie, and they carried out those lies maliciously, repeatedly, and publicly,” it added.
INQUIRER.net reached Badoy for comment, but she has yet to respond as of this posting.
Not the first time
Badoy had served as the undersecretary for the defunct Presidential Communications Operations Office concurrent to her task as the spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict.
She also faced similar complaints before the Supreme Court, the Office of the Ombudsman, and the Commission of Elections.
In September last year, Badoy accused a Manila Regional Trial Court judge of having ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) after the judge junked a 2018 Department of Justice petition to declare the CPP and its armed wing, New People’s Army as a terrorist group.
During the presidential campaign, Badoy also alleged that vice president Leni Robredo has links to the CPP.
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