Who is Inday Badiday? Facts about the late entertainment journalist mentioned in the Senate

Inday Badiday’s name was mentioned at the Senate on Monday afternoon, when Senator Juan Miguel Zubiri objected to Senator Imee Marcos’ video alleging that the current administration is pushing for Charter change.

Zubiri later apologized to the family of the late entertainment journalist, saying the mention of Inday Badiday’s name was a “slip of the tongue in the middle of a heated debate.”

Monday's Senate events quickly turned Inday Badiday into a hot topic and a trending keyword on social media.

In case you're unfamiliar with Inday Badiday, here are five facts about the late veteran media personality.

The Basics

Inday Badiday was born Lourdes Jimenez Carvajal on August 6, 1944. According to Esquire Philippines, her father was the former Ambassador to Korea, Narciso Jimenez, and her mother was Maria Clara Vega.

She is one of nine children, which includes Letty Jimenez- Magsanoc, who would become the editor-in-chief of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

According to GMA Network, she got her name, Inday Badiday from her mother. Inday meant "girly" and Badiday meant flamboyant, "referring to the nature of the gossip industry." She took on the name "to save her family from the potential embarrassment of being associated with such working class proclivities as movie stars and Tagalog movies," Esquire said, referencing a university paper.

She was an entertainment journalist

Before Inday Badiday became a famous a television host, she took on the radio and collected magazine bylines.

Then she went into TV where Inday Badiday found her niche. "Nothing But the Truth" became “See True,” which only ran for a total of two years in the '80s but is often credited as among the pioneers, if not the pioneer, of Philippine showbiz talk show.

It was “Eye to Eye” however, that turned Inday Badiday into something of a pop culture figure. "Eye to Eye" was on air for eight years, and every night, she would end the show with the greeting, "Sarang Habida Bo." Sarang Habida which means "I love you" in Korean, while Bo was said to be her second husband's nickname.

In 2002, she also hosted the talk show “Inday, Heart to Heart,” which also aired on GMA Network.

She was dubbed “Queen of Intrigues”

At the height of her showbiz talk shows, Inday Badiday earned the title “Queen of Intrigues” because of her extensive knowledge of the entertainment industry. She was also fondly called “Ate Luds” by those close to her.

She was also an actress and producer

Apart from being a host-journalist, Inday Badiday was also a film producer. Among the movies that gives her the credit include 1994's “Lab Kita, Bilib Ka Ba?”

Meanwhile, she's also appeared in movies like “The Young at Heart” (1970) and “Juan & Ted: Wanted” (2000).

She died at 59

Inday Badiday died on September 26, 2003 due to multiple organ failure caused by two strokes. She was 59.

She was the grandmother of I.C. Mendoza

Content creator I.C. Mendoza is among Inday Badiday’s grandchildren. He is the son of Inday Badiday’s daughter, Dolly Anne Carvajal, who is also an entertainment journalist.

Following the news about Zubiri mentioning Inday Badiday in the Senate, I.C. defended his grandmother’s legacy, saying that “it just felt off seeing her memory associated with fake news peddlers.”

However, I.C. later graciously accepted Zubiri’s apology, saying “all good” as he thanked the senator and encouraged him to “keep fighting the good fight.”