Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 18) – Former Bayan Muna Representative Teddy Casiño on Monday filed a civil complaint against Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) hosts Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey Celiz.
He said in a statement that he wants Badoy and Celiz to be ordered to cease and desist from maligning and red-tagging him.
“Since 2020, these two characters, aided and abetted by the NTF-ELCAC, have been falsely, maliciously, and repeatedly accusing me of being involved in terrorism, rebellion and other crimes as a supposed high ranking official of the CPP-NPA-NDFP,” Casiño said, using the acronym of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict as well as the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People’s Army, and National Democratic Front of the Philippines.
In his complaint, Casiño said Badoy and Celiz continued to red-tag and malign him “with reckless disregard for the truth and without an iota of concern for the effects of their baseless claims to the safety and security, and the reputation of the Plaintiff.\”
He added that Badoy and Celiz have been constantly spewing lies, aspersions, inciting ridicule and hate against him, his family, fellow activists and their legitimate political beliefs and activities.
“As a leftist activist, I have been called many things by my detractors. But to be falsely and repeatedly accused of being a high ranking official of an organization arbitrarily designated by the Anti-Terrorism Council as a terrorist organization, and accused of orchestrating the death of thousands and the destruction of the country, is just too much,” he said.
He continued: “Add to that their false accusations and outright lies attacking me and my family’s reputation and integrity that I have built and protected all these years.”
