TINABLA nina Antipolo City 2nd District Rep. Romeo M. Acop at Manila 6th District Rep. Bienvenido M. Abante Jr. nitong Martes ang pahayag ng anchor ng Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI) anchor na si Lorraine Badoy patungkol sa pagmamahal sa bayan.

Anila hindi hawak ni Badoy ang monopoly sa pagmamahal sa bansa.

Sa pagdinig ng House Committee on Legislative Franchises hearing, sinabi ni Acop, isang abogado at dating police brigadier general, na handa siyang magsilbi muli para depensahan ang bansa gaya ng kaniyang ginawa noong opisyal pa ng Philippine National Police (PNP), ngunit sa isang angkop at ligal na pamamaraan.

“I have laid down my life very often just to protect this country, and if ever I’m going to be called again, I’ll do it not the way you (Badoy) wanted but the way it is authorized by the government,” saad ni Acop na siyang chairman ng House committee on transportation “I spent my life fighting for this country, so you do not have to tell me that. Mas marami akong isinugal kaysa sa’yo, so do not give me that crap.”

“I’m sorry for what happened to you, Madam Badoy, but you do not have the monopoly of love of country,” ani Acop na pinatutungkulan ang desisyon ng komite na idetine si Badoy matapos magsinungaling sa pag-dinig.

Bago samahan ng House Security officials papunta sa kaniyang detention facility, binigyan ng pagkakataon ni Parañaque City Rep. Gus Tambunting, chairman ng Franchise committee si Badoy na makapag komento.

Ginamit ni Badoy ang pagkakataon upang sabihin na katawa-tawa ang pag-dinig. “This was the place (House of Representatives) where we could stand on our shared ground of love for country; what I witnessed right now was a travesty.”

Sinagot naman ni Abante, isa sa kilalang Baptist pastor sa bansa na inireklamo si Badoy dahil sa pangre-red tag nito.

“I do not know how old you are, Madam Badoy. When I fought the NPA (New People’s Army) in 1986, this government almost lost to the NPA. I was there fighting the NPAs. I do not know where you were at that time. So please do not make a monopoly on the love of the country; all of the members of Congress here love our country. That’s why we are here. We are not just politicians; we are people that love our nation. That’s why we are serving our nation, so please do not make that statement to me; it is still a lie, Mr. Chair,” diin ni Abante, chairman of the House Committee on Human Rights

Sa mosyon ni Abante na sinegundahan ni Acop, ipinag-utos ni Tambunting ang pagkulong kay Badoy dahil sa umano’y pagsisinungalin sa kita mula sa advertisement ng kaniyang programang Laban Kasama ang Bayan kung saan kasama nitong host si Ka Eric Celiz na ipinakulong din ng komite.

Ginisa nina House Deputy Majority Leader at Quezon 2nd District Rep. David “Jay-jay” Suarez, at Santa Rosa City Lone District Rep. Dan S. Fernandez si Badoy si Badoy kaugnay ng kinikita ng kanyang programa sa mga ads.

Mayroong mga binanggit na advertisement si Badoy subalit sinabi ng abugado ng SMNI na si Atty. Mark Tolentino na walang ads ang programa.

“Based on my information, Mr. Chair with SMNI team, the show has no advertisers,” saad ni Tolentino na nagrepresenta rin kay Badoy.“ [These are] advertisers not of Laban Kasama ng Bayan, but advertisers of a program before that program (Laban Kasama ng Bayan).”

“Mr. Chair, can we put it on the record, we already cited an individual (Celiz) in contempt earlier for failing to provide the information that the committee requires. To SMNI right now, again, very, very thin ice. Both of you magkatabi kayo (Badoy and Tolentino). Sinabi mo (Badoy) abogado mo ‘to (Tolentino), kayong magkatabi hindi pa magkasundo kung ano ba talaga iyung totoo. Sabi mo may tatlong nag-a-advertise, sabi ng katabi mo wala. Paano namin kayo paniniwalaan eh magkatabi na nga kayo,” ani Suarez

“Mr. Chairman, dito po sa breakdown ng revenue nila lumalabas dito na iyung revenue nila nanggaling lamang po sa radio station. Walang lumalabas sa revenue na nanggagaling sa show (Laban Kasama ng Bayan) ninyo (Badoy and Celiz). I think you are lying dahil dito naka-breakdown po ang revenue n’yo,” paglalahad ni Fernandez, Chairman ng House committee on public order and safety.

“Iyung station (SMNI) kumita ng P105 million noong 2022. Kumita noong 2021 ng P41.8 million. Kanina sinabi ni Atty. [Tolentino] wala daw advertisements and promotion [ang Laban Kasama ng Bayan]. Kumita sa advertising and promotion ninyo (Badoy) ng P12 million noong 2022 at noong 2021 na-declared n’yo ng P810,000 lamang. In other words, Mr. Chairman, clearly nagsisinungaling kayo Ma’am Badoy dahil sinasabi n’yo na kumikita kayo bilang co-producer pero hindi nakalista sa breakdown ng inyong revenue. So how can you explain that?” punto pa ni Fernandez.

Una nang pinakulong ng komite si Celiz matapos itong tumanggi na kilalanin ang source ng kanyang impormasyon na nagsabing gumastos si Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez sa kanyang mga biyahe ng P1.8 bilyon.

Nilinaw naman ni House Secretary General Reginald “Reggie” S. Velasco na gumastos lamang ng P4.3 million mula Enero hanggang Oktubre 2023 ang Office of the Speaker para sa foreign trips.

Humingi ng paumnahin si Celiz kay Speaker Romualdez at sa Kamara de Representantes dahil sa naturang mga alegasyon.