Another damage suit filed vs 2 SMNI hosts

MANILA, Philippines — Former Bayan Muna Rep. and chair Teddy Casiño on Monday filed a civil complaint against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) hosts Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz at the Makati City Regional Trial Court (RTC) over claims of red-tagging.

Casiño alleged that the SMNI hosts made malicious public statements that Red-tagged and maligned him, in violation of Articles 19 to 21 of the Civil Code.

In his complaint, Casiño urged the Makati City RTC to compel Badoy and Celiz to compensate him with a minimum of P2.1 million — P1.1 million for moral damages; P500,000 for exemplary damages; P500,000 for nominal damages; and P100,000 (not less than) for lawyer’s fees, and costs of the suit.

According to the complaint, Badoy and Celiz attacked Casiño on several occasions, detailing instances where the hosts, through their show “Laban Kasama ang Bayan” on SMNI, falsely accused the former lawmaker of crimes, criminal status, and various illegal acts.

Red-tagging

“These statements are false, malicious, and are clearly intended to malign Teddy, and his organizations Bayan and Bayan Muna and subject him to physical harm and ill-repute. Red-tagging, terrorist-tagging, and labeling a person as an ‘enemy of the state’ is a precursor to extrajudicial killings enforced disappearances, and trumped-up charges,” according to the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers.

Casiño explained that his legal action is long overdue, as the SMNI hosts have been accusing him since 2020 of being involved in rebellion and terrorism. He emphasized that the civil case is not just for him but for all activists and citizens victimized by SMNI and the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac).

He emphasized the continuing threat to his life and safety, citing instances where Red-tagging by NTF-Elcac agents led to the deaths of fellow activists. Casiño expressed concern for the safety of activists and called for the abolition of NTF-Elcac, stating, “We think this [case] is also a strong statement against the NTF-Elcac.”

“As a leftist activist, I have been called many things … But to be falsely and repeatedly accused of being a high-ranking official of an organization arbitrarily designated by the Anti-Terrorism Council as a terrorist organization is just too much,” Casiño said.

Casiño’s lawyer, Kristina Conti, told the media: “This case is not just about money; it’s about the violation of human relations and the trampling of rights. Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy have acted without decorum and abuse.”