Read this in The Manila Times digital edition.
THE ordeal of Jeffrey Celiz and Lorraine Badoy at the House of Representatives is a clear sign that the political tables have turned. Once so powerful, Celiz and Badoy are now mere pawns in the Marcos-Duterte proxy war. Celiz's claim that House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez spent P1.8 billion on travels in 2023 was the perfect excuse for the House to open an investigation into the Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI). Not only is SMNI owned by Apollo Quiboloy, one of former president Rodrigo Duterte's most influential supporters (now wanted by the US Federal Bureau of Investigation), it has become the mouthpiece of the Dutertes.
Celiz and Badoy rose to prominence during the Duterte presidency, finding their "calling" in the crusade to crush the communist insurgency. Ironically, Duterte's legendary friendly ties with the New People's Army in Mindanao didn't prevent Badoy from supporting the then-Davao City mayor's presidential bid in 2016. Neither was Badoy bothered about serving as an assistant secretary to Social Welfare Secretary Judy Taguiwalo, who was one of the Cabinet members representing the National Democratic Front of the Philippines. Celiz, on the other hand, was connected to the communist movement in the past.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)