The House Tri-Committee reaffirmed its subpoenas for Lorraine Badoy, Jeffrey Celiz, and social media personality Allan Troy “Sass” Sasot before suspending its hearing on Friday, March 21. The three were absent from the committee’s ongoing investigation into disinformation in the country.
This was the third session of the probe, which finally saw the attendance of several vloggers, commentators, and influencers who had ignored previous summonses. Many of them are known allies of former President Rodrigo Duterte and his family.
However, Badoy, Celiz, and Sasot failed to appear despite being legally compelled to testify under oath. Former Malacañang press secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles, who attended as a resource person, told the committee that Badoy was abroad and had submitted a travel notice, though it had not yet been acknowledged by the secretariat. She also confirmed that Sasot is currently in China and unable to return. Some present social media figures claimed Sasot attempted to join via Zoom but was not allowed, as remote participation is restricted to House members.
Rep. Johnny Pimentel (Surigao del Sur, 2nd District) noted that the committee had previously issued show-cause orders to 34 social media personalities. Of those, only 10 attended Friday’s hearing, while 24—including Badoy, Celiz, and Sasot—remained absent. The committee has now escalated its actions by issuing subpoenas for the missing individuals.
Pimentel warned that if the subpoenaed resource persons fail to appear at the next session, scheduled for April 8, the committee will be left with no choice but to cite them in contempt.
