Youth leaders, activists, and concerned citizens filed before the Office of the Ombudsman on Wednesday, March 23, separate complaints to hold National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) Spokesperson Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy administratively and criminally liable for allegedly red-tagging Vice President Leni Robredo.
Three separate complaints were filed against Badoy, accusing her of violating the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
This, after Badoy released a statement on March 14, accusing Robredo of having ties with the Communist Party of the Philippines-National People's Army-National Democratic Front (CPP-NPA-NDFP).
"By utilizing the infrastructure of state media for purposes of influencing the minds of voters vis-a-vis the 9 May 2022 elections, Undersecretary Badoy has besmirched the reputation of her fellow public servant in the process by publicly associating the presidential campaign of Vice President Maria Leonor S. Gerona-Robredo with the Communist Party of the Philippines," the complaint read.
"We are collectively shocked at such behavior, which we believe is unbecoming of Undersecretary Badoy’s office. Considering that her actions bear heavily upon discussions in the public sphere regarding the positions and qualifications for office of presidential aspirants, we believe that she should be disciplined for such breach of the public’s trust in a supposedly non-partisan and professional civil service," it further read.
The complainants said Badoy's post was a "species of partisan political activity" which is penalized under the Section 261, Paragraph (i) of the Omnibus Code and prohibited under the Book V, Title I(A), Chapter 8, Section 55 of the Administrative Code of 1987.
" is not among those public officers exempt from the requirement of desisting from partisan political activity during national and local elections," they said.
"As such, she falls within the general coverage of election and civil service laws and regulations regarding the same, and is thus prohibited from activities such as authoring the post in question," they furthered.
The complainants include National Union of Students of the Philippines National President Jandeil Roperos, Youth Act Now Against Tyranny Spokesperson Alicia Lucena, former Kabataan Partylist Representative Raymond Palatino, and Delfin Castro, older brother of arrested doctor Natividad Castro.
They urged the Ombudsman to investigate Badoy and to preventively suspend the NTF-ELCAC spokesperson until June 30.