Former anti-insurgency task force spokesperson Lorraine Badoy-Partosa faces a P2.15-million lawsuit initiated by the militant Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN).
BAYAN chairman emeritus chairperson Carol Pagaduan Araullo said they filed the damage suit against Badoy-Partosa for “incessant red tagging” that demonized her and her organization.
Jeffrey Celiz, who introduced himself as a former high-ranking official of the New People’s Army (NPA), was also cited as a co-respondent in the case, being Badoy-Partosa’s co-host in a public affairs program on SMNI.
Araullo said she wants the respondents accountable for “false, baseless and malicious public statements against her.”
“Nung una ‘di ko pinapansin, kilala naman ako ng mga tao, maayos naman ang aking reputasyon at aking track record subalit sa age of social media na ang disimpormasyon ay kumakalat ng napakabilis at ito na paulit ulit na pagsisinungaling na ito ay mukhang pinaniniwalaan ng kanilang mga taga sunod ng kanilang mga programa na ‘di ako kilala. (At the start, I didn’t mind. People knew me, I have a good track record and reputation. But in this age of social media where disinformation spreads fast and if the lies are repeated over and over again, the falsehood gains a semblance of truth among their followers who did not know me,” Araullo explained.
Badoy-Partosa, or Badoy as she is more popularly known, served as assistant secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development under the watch of former President Rodrigo Duterte. She later designated spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF ELCAC).
Araullo’s counsel Kristina Conti, said her client was asking for P2.15 million in damages, broken down into P1 million in nominal damages, P500,000 for moral damages, an additional P500,000 for exemplary damages and P150,000 for legal fees.
“Ito po ay kung sa civil code ay human relations provision ito po yung paano tayo makikipag kapwa at nakasaad po sa pakikipagkapwa natin at bawal umabuso po ng ating mga karapatan o gawin. Kapag lumagpas na o umabuso na at nakapag violate ng rights ng iba ay kailangan po managot,” (The Civil Code’s human relations provision prescribes how we should interact with other people, mandates that it is unlawful to violate and abuse the rights of others,” Conti stressed.
Celiz, in a statement, described the case as an act of harassment and intimidation, saying BAYAN was using it to “maximize propaganda and media mileage.”
Badoy, for her part, challenged Araullo and BAYAN to file a “real case” against them.
“If they’re serious about challenging the things we say about them, why not file a real case? Not this “useless, nuisance case” lawyers say it is?” Badoy argued.
She also said Araullo chose to file a civil case and not a libel case against her because what she said about Araullo is true.
“Prove me wrong, Carol. Sue us for libel,” Badoy added.
