SC fines former anti-Red spox for threats to Manila judge

SC fines former anti-Red spox for threats to Manila judge

The Supreme Court has slapped a P30,000-fine on a former government anticommunist mouthpiece for making “vitriolic statements and outright threats” against a Manila Regional Trial Court (RTC) judge who had ruled against declaring the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) terrorist organizations.

Voting 14-0, as the 15th justice was on leave, the high court found Lorraine Badoy Partosa guilty of indirect contempt for her social media posts in September 2022.

It warned her that she would get a “more severe sanction” if she repeats the same or similar offense.

“Unwarranted attacks on the dignity of the courts are not constitutionally protected speech and may constitute contempt of court,” the high tribunal said in a 52-page decision authored by Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.

The court’s decision on a petition filed in October 2022 against Partosa by a group of lawyers was promulgated on Aug. 15, 2023, but announced only on Wednesday. The court did not explain the delay in announcing the decision.

The high court defines indirect contempt as actions not committed within the court but are nonetheless “directed against the dignity and authority of the court or a judge acting judicially.”

While the judiciary is not immune to public criticism, the Supreme Court said that “there is a well-defined line between legitimate criticism and utterances that are intended to attack the integrity of the courts or are aimed at influencing court decisions.”

“An incitement to commit lawless violent action and is likely to cause such violent action causing death or injury is not covered by the constitutional privilege of protected speech,” it said.

Apology

Partosa, who was a spokesperson for the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-Elcac) apologized to the Supreme Court in a statement on Thursday,

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