Lawyers file petition for indirect contempt vs. Badoy before SC

A lawyers' group on Tuesday asked the Supreme Court (SC) to declare former anti-insurgency task force spokesperson Lorraine Badoy guilty of indirect contempt of court over her social media posts against a Manila judge.

"This is an Urgent Petition to Declare Respondent Lorraine Marie T. Badoy-Partosa GUILTY of Indirect Contempt of Court, as provided under Section 3 (d), Rule 71 of the Rules of Court," Movement Against Disinformation (MAD) said in its petition.

The petition stemmed from Badoy's "contumacious" series of social media posts "aimed to assault and humiliate" Manila Regional Trial Court Branch 19 Presiding Judge Marlo A. Magdoza-Malagar, the group said.

Badoy had criticized Malagar for issuing a resolution dated September 21, 2022 dismissing the government's petition to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines and the New People's Army as terrorist groups.

Badoy was a former spokesperson of National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

"Given the gravity and hostility displayed by the conduct of Respondent Badoy-Partosa, Petitioners pray that the Respondent be accordingly PUNISHED with the maximum penalty of six (6) months of IMPRISONMENT and FINED in the maximum amount of Thirty Thousand Pesos (Ph 30,000.00)," the petition read.

Among the petitioners were Atty. Rico Domingo, Dean Antonio Gabriel La Vina, Soledad Deriquito-Mawis, Dean Anna Maria D. Abad, Dean Rodel A. Taton, Atty. Artemio Calumpong, Atty. Christiane Grace Salonga, Atty, Ray Paolo J. Santiago, and Atyy. Ayn Ruth Tolentino-Azarcon.

Domingo, Yambot, and Santiago personally filed the petition before the SC at about 10 a.m.

GMA News Online has reached out to Badoy for her comment, but she has yet to give a statement as of posting time.

In a previous statement, however, Badoy denied making threats against Malagar.

"I did not threaten anybody. Lalo na 'yung judge. Walang threats 'yan [Especially the judge. There were no threats]," Badoy had said.  —Joviland Rita/KBK, GMA News