Bagong Alyansang Makabayan chairperson emeritus Carol Pagaduan-Araullo formally filed a complaint with the Quezon City Hall of Justice regarding the alleged continuous red-tagging of her by two controversial hosts of SMNI News.
This is still related to the allegations against him by former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict spokesperson Loraine Badoy and self-confessed “NPA surrenderee” Jeffrey Celis, which are being circulated to the public. They are both SMNI hosts.
“I am filing today a civil damages lawsuit against Lorraine Badoy-Partosa and Jeffrey Celiz, two notorious redtaggers/terrorist labelers because they have incessantly and wantonly engaged in a vilification spree to demonize me and tar my good name and that of my organization, the Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN),” said Araullo this Wednesday.
“My purpose is to exact accountability for their false, baseless and malicious public statements against me so that they will stop this pernicious practice not only against me and other social activists but for many more who they have categorized as ‘enemies of the state’ because of their critical or oppositionist stance… to government policies or programs and crimes and abuses committed by persons in authority.”
It was only July 11th when Badoy said that Araullo should also be “designated as a terrorist” along with ten other progressive leaders.
SMNI News hosts facing complaints due to alleged red-tagging
Badoy and Celis are known for linking legal activists, personalities and journalists to the Communist Party-New People’s Army (CPP-NPA), even though no proof has been presented.
The lawsuit is based on what is stated in Articles 19, 20 and 21 of the Civil Code, which punishes damages for any abuser who causes perversion and damage to others.
Combined, the requested damages amount to P2.15 million. The BAYAN group is against the criminalization of libel, which is why a civil complaint was filed.
Araullo said she didn’t pay attention to the two before, especially since she has a clean track record as an activist and leader of BAYAN — an alliance of various progressive groups such as Anakbayan, Kadamay, Gabriela, Health Alliance for Democracy, Migrante , Alliance of Concerned Teachers, etc.
Despite this, they are said to be taking action, especially the “lies” repeated in SMNI News which is owned by “Appointed Son of God” Pastor Apollo Quiboloy, who is wanted in the United States because of various complaints of child sex trafficking.
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