House panel cites Lorraine Badoy in contempt, SMNI host detained for allegedly lying

The House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Franchises cited SMNI program host Lorraine Badoy in contempt on Tuesday for allegedly lying about her role as producer and host in her program. 

The House panel also ordered Badoy to be detained for her "refusal to answer" and "acting in a disrespectful manner" during an inquiry surrounding the ad revenues of her SMNI program.

Manila congressman Bienvenido Abante made the motion to cite Badoy in contempt after information she provided of the advertisers of her SMNI show contradicted with statements she and her counsel, Mark Tolentino, made. 

Badoy said that she co-produces the show that has the following advertisers: e-fuel, food carts and a certain Galileo Water.

“What we are in charge of is the creative license, what goes into it, the content...I don’t look at the sponsors too much,” Badoy said during the inquiry on the SMNI franchise stemming from a broadcast alleging House Speaker Martin Romualdez has a P1.8 billion travel fund. SMNI program host Eric Celiz claimed it was from a source which he later claimed provided wrong information.

Tolentino said as co-producer, Badoy  has a 25 percent share of the program’s revenues. The lawyer said the program currently has no advertisers.

 “Based on my information with SMNI [records], the show has no advertisers. If there is any advertiser, then (25 percent )is her share,” Tolentino said.

Laguna representative Dan Fernandez accused Badoy of lying. The solon said the revenue sharing scheme in her show was not reflected in the documents SMNI submitted to the committee.

Based on the documents, SMNI’s revenue comes from its radio stations nationwide, DZAR.

“You have P105 million in revenues in 2022, but this does not reflect your earnings as a co-producer of that show. That revenue-sharing is not shown here in the breakdown. You are lying,” Fernandez said.

This prompted Abante to say Badoy should be cited in contempt for acting in a disrespectful manner and for her refusal to tell the truth.

Another motion was made by Abang Lingkod party-list lawmaker Stephen Paduano that Badoy will be detained in the premises of the House of Representatives until the committee report on the inquiry is approved before the House plenary.

Both motions were carried without objection.

“What I witnessed now is a travesty and I am sad for my country,” said Badoy, the former spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC).

Her statements were quickly called out by retired police general and Antipolo lawmaker Romeo Acop.

“You do not have the monopoly of the love of country. I spent my lifetime fighting for this country. ” Acop retorted. “Mas marami akong sinugal kaysa sa iyo. So do not give me that crap.”

 (I have risked more than you have.)

Celiz, her SMNI co-host, was earlier cited for contempt and detained by the House panel for his refusal to divulge the identity of his source that provided erroneous information pertaining to the Speaker’s alleged P1.8 billion travel fund.—RF, GMA Integrated News