Angat Pinas Inc. mulls raps vs Badoy for allegedly red-tagging NGO

Angat Pinas, Inc., a non government entity whose Board Chair is former Vice President Leni Robredo, is looking at taking Lorraine Badoy to court over  Badoy's claims the NGO was a front for communist rebels.

"We strongly condemn and unequivocally deny the allegations made by Lorraine Badoy against Angat Buhay last July 4 in a cable television program. Her claims are utterly baseless and completely false, and worse, encourage the harassment of our staff members, volunteers, and partners," Angat Pinas, Inc. Executive Director Raphael Magno said in a statement.

"As soon as our attention was called to the matter, we referred the same to our lawyers who are now in the process of preparing possible legal actions to protect the integrity of our organization and our work and, more so, to protect our volunteers and partners," Magno added.

Magno also assured the Angat Pinas, Inc. supporters that such tactics would not weigh them down and that they would fight efforts to discredit their work.

"Rest assured that we are not taking this sitting down. We will not allow these efforts to sabotage our work to prosper. The time to stand up to fake news and hold its purveyors to account is now," Magno said.

He added that, as with their Chairperson, former Vice President Leni Robredo, their word was their bond. They would thus continue their work as a private, non-government organization to empower marginalized communities and sectors.

"Our work is beyond personalities and politics. Our work is about fundamental values," said Magno.

Robredo launched the Angat Pinas, Inc. last July 1, her first day as a private citizen after being a public servant from 2013 to 2016 as Camarines Sur representative and from 2016 to 2022 as Vice President.

Robredo said that the Angat Pinas, Inc.'s programs will still be identified as Angat Buhay and will focus on education, health, disaster response and community engagement initiatives to aid communities.

Badoy, who served as one of the Undersecretaries of the Presidential Communications Operations Office during the Duterte administration, had said: "They are working overtime with the recruitment, iyong Angat Buhay ni Leni Robredo. The people behind Angat Buhay is CPP-NPA-NDF. In fact on social media, mga nanay mga naghahanap ng anak nila, nawala na hindi na nila makita, sumali na ng Leni Youth."

In response to Angat Pinas' Friday statement, Badoy said she looked forward to being taken to court.

"The propaganda lines of this communist terrorist group use words to silence us who take off their masks...so they can recruit our children to become NPAs (New People's Army), to raise funds to hurt us, use the kind hearts of our kababayan and make them believe they are giving their time and money to something noble but in reality they are being led down the path of radicalization where they are taught language of hate and mistrust towards government," she said in a statement.

"We have the Anti Terrorism Law. I suggest their lawyers study that particular part about recruitment and terrorist financing. Bring it on. My lawyers await you," she added. — DVM, GMA News