By Benjamin Cuaresma
MANILA — The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has suspended the license of physician and former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Dr. Lorraine Marie Badoy for six months after finding her guilty of unethical and unprofessional conduct over her public statements red-tagging health workers.
In a resolution dated May 8, the PRC Board of Medicine ruled that Badoy violated the Revised Code of Ethics of the Medical Profession by publicly linking members of the Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) and community physician Dr. Ma. Natividad “Naty” Castro to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP), New People’s Army (NPA), and National Democratic Front (NDF) without sufficient proof.
The resolution, received Friday by the complainants through the Movement Against Disinformation (MAD), ordered the suspension of Badoy’s certificate of registration for six months from the time the decision becomes final.
During the suspension period, Badoy is prohibited from practicing medicine.
The complaints stemmed from a series of public statements and social media posts made by Badoy while serving as spokesperson of the NTF-ELCAC. She admitted authoring the posts but maintained that informing the public about alleged communist front organizations formed part of her official responsibilities.
The Board, however, found that no official government documents were presented to support claims that the Alliance of Health Workers was affiliated with the CPP-NPA-NDF.
It ruled that Badoy’s actions failed to uphold the ethical obligations of a physician and damaged the reputation of fellow medical professionals engaged in community health work.
The disciplinary case consolidated complaints filed in 2022 by the Alliance of Health Workers, which sought the revocation of Badoy’s medical license, and another petition filed by 17 physicians seeking her suspension or disbarment from the medical profession over what they described as unprofessional conduct.
Tony La Viña, president of the Movement Against Disinformation and counsel for the complainants, welcomed the ruling, saying physicians remain accountable to professional ethics even when speaking outside clinical practice.
“The Board was clear: Physicians remain bound by professional responsibilities even outside the strict practice of medicine,” La Viña said.
The PRC ruling marks another legal setback for Badoy.
In 2024, the Supreme Court found her guilty of indirect contempt for red-tagging a Manila Regional Trial Court judge.
Later that year, broadcast journalist Atom Araullo won a civil case against Badoy and former broadcaster Jeffrey Celiz after a Quezon City Regional Trial Court ruled they had falsely linked him to the communist movement and ordered them to pay damages. Badoy has said she intends to appeal that decision.
The six-month suspension takes effect once the PRC resolution attains finality.
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