NATIONAL Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy and Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) anchor Jeffrey ‘Ka Eric’ Celiz who were detained by a House committee for contempt has urged the Supreme Court for their release.
In 34-page petition for certiorari and issuance of a writ of habeas corpus, the petitioners contend that the House committee on legislative franchise egregiously abused its contempt powers, asserting that Badoy and Celiz were merely exercising their right to free speech.
Walter Partosa, Badoy’s husband, and Rogilda Canilao Celiz, “Ka Eric’s” wife, implore the high court to order the detainees’ release, citing a grave abuse of discretion by the House committee and an unlawful infringement on their freedom of expression, according to a published report on abogado.ph
They pointed out that Badoy and Celiz’s detention was whimsical as it lacks legal foundation.
The respondents named in the petition include the House committee and House Sergeant-at-Arms Napoleon Taas.
The contempt charges stem from their purported disrespectftul conduct and refusal to answer pertinent questions during a December 5 inquiry by the House Committee on Legislative Franchises.
This inquiry focused on alleged violations by SMNI regarding its legislative franchise granted under Republic Act No. 11422.
The violations involved Celiz’s claim that House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion on travel expenses, an assertion for which Celiz later issued an apology without revealing his source.
Badoy, cited for contempt over conflicting statements about the SMNI program, initially claimed to be a blocktimer but later identified as a co-producer, raising questions about her employment status.
The petitioners argue that the House committee’s use of contempt powers was both extraordinary and improper, constituting punishment for the exercise of their right to freedom of speech.
