We deplore and denounce in the strongest terms the thinly veiled threats made against our distinguished alumna, Manila Regional Trial Court Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, and her husband, University of the Philippines-Cebu Chancellor Atty. Leo B. Malagar. The threats emanated from a since-deleted Facebook post by former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Lorraine Badoy, who launched a vicious verbal attack against the judge for her decision dismissing the Department of Justice’s motion to declare the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) and the New People’s Army (NPA) as terrorist organizations. In a subsequent post, without offering any proof, she also tagged Chancellor Malagar as a CPP-NPA-NDF member.
This is not the first time—nor, we believe, will it be the last—that Ms. Badoy has overstepped the bounds of human decency with her rabid and reckless assaults on free speech, human rights, and now, the judicial process itself, one of our last democratic recourses. While she may seek to evade legal action by resorting to seemingly hypothetical questions in her posts, the malice and moral depravity in her intent is evident, particularly her chilling statement about killing “this judge,” knowing full well that she is associated with the country’s military and intelligence establishment. Her feeble disavowal of her posts as “fake news,” despite ample evidence that she made them, only reinforces her lack of truthfulness.
The University of the Philippines stands by its commitment to our people’s democratic rights and the rule of law. Personal threats and attacks against our judges and academic leaders are unacceptable in a free society, and their perpetrators should be held accountable, legally and morally, for any consequences of their actions.
The University of the Philippines President’s Advisory Council (UP PAC) is composed of the President, the Vice Presidents and the Secretary of the University, the Chancellors of the eight UP constituent units, the Director of the UP Philippine General Hospital, and the Executive Director of the UP Bonifacio Global City campus.
