House panel blinks; frees Badoy, Celiz

As the clock struck 6:46 p.m. on Tuesday, Dr. Lorraine Badoy and Jeffrey "Ka Eric" Celiz emerged from the somber confines of the House of Representatives building in Quezon City, where they had been detained for seven days following their citation for contempt during a hearing last week.

This after members of the House Committee on Legislative Franchises voted unanimously to lift the detention order on SMNI anchors Badoy and Celiz on humanitarian grounds.

The House panel deliberation came a day after Badoy's husband, Walter Partosa, and Celiz's wife, Rogilda, accompanied by their lawyers led by Atty. Harry Roque, filed a petition for certiorari and a writ of habeas corpus before the Supreme Court for unlawful and indefinite detention.

Celiz, a former CPP-NPA cadre, and Badoy, a former spokesperson of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, were detained after being held in contempt during the committee hearing on 5 December. Celiz's steadfast refusal to disclose the identity of his source, who revealed a purported P1.8-billion travel fund under House Speaker Martin Romualdez, led to their dramatic detention.

"We are ordering the release of Mr. Celiz and Ms. Badoy-Partosa on humanitarian grounds and in the spirit of the Yuletide season. No more, no less," said Parañaque Rep. Gus Tambunting, panel chairperson.

For seven days in detention, the two went on a hunger strike, making do with juice and water to protest the alleged "travesty" in the House proceedings.

Meanwhile, it was learned that as the House panel deliberated, a manifesto of support demanding the immediate release of Badoy and Celiz had snowballed, gathering the signatures of almost 150 alumni of the Philippine Military Academy — the country's premier military school — from different classes.

"We demand the immediate and unconditional release of our colleagues. Their detention is not only illegitimate but also emblematic of a distressing trend of authoritarian overreach. We call for a full and transparent accounting of the actions leading to this egregious detention. Those responsible for this overstep must be held to account," the manifesto read.

The PMA cavaliers also urged a swift return to the principles of democratic governance in the House of Representatives.

"This institution must not be allowed to devolve into an instrument of political suppression," it said.

The PMAers vowed that "in the face of this affront to our democratic way of life, we stand firm. Let it be known that our will cannot be bent, our voices cannot be muted, and our fight for justice will not be deterred. The House of Representatives must heed the call to right this wrong, lest it be forever marked as an enemy of the people it purports to represent."

Among the many signatories included former National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon, former National Intelligence Coordinating Agency chief Alex Monteagudo, former Office of Civil Defense administrator Ric Jalad, former TESDA and BoC chief Isidro Lapeña, former immigration commissioner Jaime Morente, former PNP chief Avelino Razon and retired Lt. Gen. Antonio Parlade Jr.

Last week, SMNI legal officer Atty. Mark Tolentino said he would seek the committee's consideration to grant the detained anchors a furlough  "for humanitarian reasons" in time for the holidays.

On Monday, the House gave its final nod to House Resolution 1499, urging the National Telecommunications Commission to suspend SMNI's operations for alleged gross violation of the terms and conditions of its franchise under RA 1142.

Meanwhile, a bill to repeal SMNI's franchise has been filed in the House, but reporters have yet to obtain a copy.

1Rider Partylist Rep. Ramon Rodrigo Gutierrez filed House Bill 9710, repealing the franchise of SMNI for breaching several provisions. SMNI has a 25-year franchise through RA 1142, enacted in August 2019.