Former Bayan Muna party-list Representative Teddy Casiño on Thursday said he might file a libel complaint against individuals linking him to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP).
“Some lawyers I have talked to are saying that all elements of libel are already there so that is one of the options that I am looking at,” Casiño said in an interview with ANC.
During a Senate hearing on red-tagging on Wednesday, Jeffrey Celiz tagged Casiño as a ranking member of the communist group. Celiz claimed he was a former communist rebel.
Casiño said he knew Celiz when they were students 29 years ago. Back then, the former lawmaker was the national president of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines (CEGP) while Celiz was the regional chairman for CEGP and a member of a student publication in Iloilo.
It is in his capacity as CEGP’s president that Celiz is tagging Casiño as a high-ranking CPP member.
“That’s what ridiculous about the situation on the basis of being the national president of . It’s not true at all I deny that,” he said.
The former lawmaker cried foul over allegations by Celiz linking him to the communist group without presenting any evidence.
“It’s about casting all these allegations without presenting any proof. He (Celiz) told the Senate and the nation that I was a ranking leader of the communist party. On what basis? because I was the national president of ? Because he believes that a prominent activist is automatically a member or a killer of the communist party?” he said.
Casiño said that it was also unfair for Celiz to mention the name of Randy Malaya, who was supposedly the person who recruited him to the CCP.
He noted Malaya is already deceased, so he won’t be able to refute the allegations and defend himself.
The Senate hearing on red-tagging came on the heels of Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.’s accusations that actresses Angel Locsin and Liza Soberano, as well as 2018 Miss Universe Catriona Gray, are possible members of the communist group for being vocal critics of the government and for advocating for women’s and children’s rights.