11 September 2023 Statement of Atom Araullo on the Filing of Civil Complaint for Damages Against Lorraine Badoy-Partosa and Jeffrey Celiz Today, I have filed a civil complaint for damages against former Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy-Partosa and Jeffrey Celis. This is in connection with a series of unsubstantiated accusations and personal attacks the pair have made against me and my family through their programming on SMNI and on various social media platforms. It is my considered belief that the nature of their remarks goes far beyond the boundaries of fair criticism, and are designed to discredit, intimidate, and foment public animosity towards both me and my family. It also seems to be part of a broader pattern to harass and undermine members of the media whose reporting does not fit their agenda. I initially chose to ignore their attacks owing to their apparent absurdity. But because I've seen how treacherous, persuasive, and harmful disinformation can be, especially when left unchecked, I have resolved to push back. I am doing this for the safety and well-being of my family, but I also hope it contributes in a modest way to protecting press freedom in general. It merits emphasis that I am not filing a criminal case against Badoy and Celis at this time. I am against the criminalization of libel and would prefer not to invoke it because it also endangers legitimate journalism. Still, malicious perpetrators of disinformation must be stopped and held accountable. This is a unique challenge of our time, especially for journalists who are duty-bound to uphold the truth. * * * 11 September 2023 Pahayag ni Atom Araullo sa Pagsasampa ng Kasong Sibil Laban Kina Lorraine Badoy-Partosa at Jeffrey Celiz Ngayong araw, naghain ako ng kasong sibil laban kay dating Undersecretary Lorraine Badoy-Partosa at Jeffrey Celis. Kaugnay ito ng walang tigil na paninirang puri at pagkakalat ng kasinungalingan ng dalawa tungkol sa akin at sa aking pamilya sa pamamagitan ng kanilang programa sa SMNI at social media. Walang basehan ang kanilang mga paratang. Malinaw na layunin nila ang takutin, siraan, at udyukin ang galit ng publiko laban sa akin at sa aking pamilya sa pamamagitan ng paghahasik ng intriga. Sa aking pananaw, bahagi ito ng mas malawak na panggigipit at panunipil sa malayang pamamahayag. Noong una, pinili kong ipagkibit-balikat ang mga paratang lalo’t walang katuturan ang mga ito. Ngunit dahil delikado ang disinformation, lalo kung hahayaan lang, nagpasya akong manindigan. Ginagawa ko ito para sa kaligtasan ng aking pamilya, ngunit sana’y makaambag din ito kahit papaano sa pagtatanggol ng press freedom as kabuuan. Nais ko ring linawin na hindi ako magsasampa ng kasong kriminal laban kay Badoy at Celis sa ngayon. Tutol ako sa criminalization ng libel dahil nagagamit din ito upang gipitin ang lehitimong media. Gayunpaman, kailangang pigilan at managot ng mga malisyosong pasimuno ng disinformation. Partikular na hamon ito ng ating panahon, lalo na para sa mga mamamahayag na dapat pumanig sa katotohanan.