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MANILA, Philippines — Jeffrey Celiz, red-tagger and host of Sonshine Media Network International (SMNI), is reportedly in the United States to evade possible arrest warrants from the House of Representatives.
According to an April 21 report by GMA Integrated News, which managed to reach Celiz, Celiz is planning to apply for political asylum in Canada, claiming persecution in the Philippines.
The SMNI host has been repeatedly summoned by the House Tri-Committee as a resource person in its probe into online disinformation, which includes social media personalities like vloggers and commentators, many of whom have created pro-Duterte content.
But after skipping four hearings without an excuse letter deemed valid by lawmakers, the panel issued contempt and detention orders against him, alongside three others. For Celiz, this was “abusive” and beyond the lower chamber’s powers.
During the April 8 hearing, Rep. Joseph Stephen “Caraps” Paduano (Abang Lingkod Party-list) also revealed that he had received information about Celiz being abroad.
Celiz also has a known history of red-tagging activists and journalists, and has repeatedly been fact-checked by media outlets for spreading false or misleading information.
RELATED: Badoy, Celiz, Sasot, Lopez ordered detained as House cites contempt
The House Tri-Comm is seeking to establish regulatory measures for social media platforms and an ethics board for content creators without trampling on free speech to curb the spread of online disinformation.
'No sanctuary for lies'
In a statement on Tuesday, April 22, the National Union of People’s Lawyers (NUPL) condemned Celiz’s asylum bid, saying he is no “dissident seeking refuge from political persecution.”
“By his own record, he is a military asset and paid propagandist attempting to evade accountability for years of systematic red-tagging, disinformation and public vilification of activists and rights defenders,” the group said.
Since Celiz is now facing court cases and is involved in a legislative inquiry, the NUPL said he appears to be casting himself as the persecuted.
The group called this an “insult” to those who have endured harassment, imprisonment, enforced disappearance, and killings for acts of genuine dissent.
In December 2024, Celiz lost a civil suit alongside co-host Lorraine Badoy for red-tagging broadcast journalist Atom Araullo and his mother, physician Carol Araullo.
The court ruled that their statements, broadcast via SMNI, were defamatory and no longer protected as free speech. It ordered Celiz and Badoy to pay the Araullo family P2 million in moral and exemplary damages, plus P10,000 in attorney’s fees — all subject to a 6% annual interest rate.
RELATED: Atom Araullo wins P2M damages in red-tagging case vs Badoy, Celiz
The court, as quoted by the NUPL, also found that Celiz and Badoy engaged in red-tagging with “gross recklessness” and “without regard for truth,” calling it a clear act of bad faith.
On top of that civil case, Celiz still faces two more damage suits over what plaintiffs call “baseless and malicious red-tagging” — one filed by Carol and another by former congressman Teddy Casiño, both members of Bagong Alyansang Makabayan (BAYAN).
“While the Constitution upholds this right, the Civil Code provides clear limits: when speech is used to harm, defame, or intimidate others, it becomes actionable,” NUPL said.
“What Celiz practiced was not public discourse in a democracy; it was vilification as state policy. His speech did not inform and debate — it incited and endangered,” the group added.
The group of lawyers also stressed that asylum is not a “hiding place for persecutors.” Those who lie, the NUPL said, should not be granted “sanctuary and refuge from accountability.”
Others seeking asylum. Celiz is not the only one seeking asylum. Former presidential spokesperson Harry Roque has also applied, citing political persecution over Congress' arrest warrants and detention orders related to the investigation into offshore scam hubs.
Retired police colonel Royina Garma, who admitted to her involvement in former President Rodrigo Duterte's drug war reward system, is also seeking asylum, but in the United States.
