PRC SUSPENDS LORRAINE BADOY, BARS HER FROM MEDICAL PRACTICE FOR 6 MONTHS OVER RED-TAGGING

The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has suspended the medical license of former National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict (NTF-ELCAC) spokesperson Dr. Lorraine Marie Badoy, barring her from practicing medicine for six months after finding her guilty of unethical and unprofessional conduct over her public red-tagging of healthcare workers.

In a resolution dated May 8 and released publicly on Saturday, June 27, the PRC Professional Regulatory Board of Medicine ruled that Badoy violated the Revised Code of Ethics of the Medical Profession. The Board ordered the six-month suspension of her certificate of registration, which takes effect upon the finality of the decision. During the suspension, Badoy is prohibited from engaging in the practice of medicine and may only resume after submitting an affidavit certifying that she has completed the suspension period.

The administrative complaint was filed in 2022 by healthcare workers led by Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) nurse organizer Jocelyn Andamo. The complaint cited Badoy's public statements linking AHW leaders, unionists, and community physician Dr. Ma. Natividad "Naty" Castro to the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) without evidence.

In its ruling, the Board found that Badoy's statements clearly referred to the Alliance of Health Workers and its members despite the absence of any official document establishing the organization's alleged links to the CPP-NPA-NDF. It also noted that Dr. Castro had been publicly branded a terrorist before any such legal designation.

The PRC emphasized that physicians are held to higher standards of propriety and decorum, saying that Badoy remains bound by the ethical obligations of the medical profession even if she is not actively engaged in clinical practice.

"Taking into consideration the discussions above, and considering that this is the first offense of Respondent based on Commission records, it is deemed appropriate to impose the lesser penalty of suspension instead of the ultimate penalty of revocation of authority to practice medicine," the resolution stated.

Movement Against Disinformation founding chairperson Rico Domingo welcomed the ruling, saying it affirmed that "grave accusations cannot stand without evidence." Meanwhile, complainant Jocelyn Andamo said the decision strengthens the continuing campaign against the vilification of unionists, human rights defenders, and health activists.

The suspension is the latest in a series of sanctions imposed on Badoy over her public statements. In 2023, the Office of the Ombudsman reprimanded Badoy and former NTF-ELCAC spokesperson Antonio Parlade Jr. over their red-tagging of the National Union of Peoples' Lawyers. In 2024, the Supreme Court found Badoy guilty of indirect contempt for issuing threats against Manila Judge Marlo Magdoza-Malagar, fined her ₱30,000, and warned that similar acts would merit a more severe sanction.