Badoy cited for contempt during House hearing

Lorraine Badoy (INQUIRER.net file photo)

MANILA, Philippines — Former Presidential Communications Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy, another Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) host, has been cited for contempt and ordered detained by a House of Representatives panel.

 At the hearing of the House committee on legislative franchises on Tuesday, Manila 6th District Bienvenido Abante Jr. — who has been the subject of several attacks from Badoy, like claims that the lawmaker was conniving with communists — moved to cite the SMNI host for contempt.

Abante clarified that Badoy was cited for contempt for giving confusing statements regarding Laban Kasama ng Bayan, as she initially stated she was a block-timer, and then later admitting that she was a co-producer of the program — and therefore, an SMNI employee.

The order against Badoy was issued hours after another SMNI host, Jeffrey Celiz, was also ordered detained by the same panel after he failed to reveal who gave him the wrong information about the House Speaker’s travel expenses.

Celiz, during the Laban Kasama ng Bayan program last November 27, said he received information from a source that House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion for his travel expenses. 

House Secretary General Reginald Velasco, however, clarified that the entire House only spent P39.60 million from January 2023 to October 2023 for foreign trips.

Quezon 2nd District Rep. David Suarez earlier urged the House to direct the panel to exercise its oversight function and conduct a probe into SMNI.

During the hearing last November 30, Celiz apologized to the panel and to Romualdez for the wrong claims.