SC warns against red-tagging member of judiciary
MANILA: The Supreme Court (SC) threatened to cite for contempt a former spokesman of the government anti-rebel group for castigating a judge for declaring that the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and its armed wing, the New People’s Army (NPA) were not terrorist organisations.
The SC said that Lorraine Badoy, former spokesman of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-LCAC) could be liable for contempt of making the charges against a Manila regional trial court judge.
Manila Judge Marlo Magdoza Malagar made the decision which was met with a protest from Badoy. But the Supreme Court warned anyone who would continue to incite violence against judges and their families of legal consequences.
Lawyers, Judges, and fellow alumni of Judge Malagar condemned the threats against her and has included her husband, University of the Philippines Cebu Chancellor Leo Malagar, who were vilified and red tagged for the decision.
“The court sternly warns those who continue to incite violence through social media and other means which would endanger the lives of judges and their families.
“Andthisshalllikewisebeconsideredacontempt of this court and will be dealt with accordingly,” the SC said in a statement.
It was not the first time that the Supreme Court has spoken against atacks on members of the judiciary.
In March 2021, the SC directed all lower courts to help in the investigation of threats and atacks against the judiciary.
“To threaten our judges and our lawyers, is no less than the assault on the judiciary. To assault the judiciary is to shake the very bedrock on which our rule of law stands.
“This cannot be allowed in a civilised society like ours. This cannot go undenounced on the court’s watch,” the high court stressed.
In a Facebook page two days ater Malagar declared the petition that the CPP and NPA Badoy accused the judge of “lawyering” for the insurgence and called her 135 page decision a “judgement straight from the bowels of communist hell.”
In a post that appeared to be a direct threat of violence against Malagar, Badoy said: “If I kill this judge and I do so out of my political belief that all allies of the CPP, NPA, and the NDF must be killed because there is no difference in my mind between members of the CPP, NPA, NDF, and their friends, then please be lenient with me.”
Calls for Badoy to be held accountable have also been mounting on Thursday.
Badoy’s statement has since been assailed by the trial court judges, the office of the court administrator, and numerous lawyers who rallied behind the judge.
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