Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri has apologized to the family of the late showbiz journalist Inday Badiday after mentioning her name during a heated Senate plenary debate on Monday.
Zubiri said the remark was a “slip of the tongue” made in the middle of an intense exchange over the controversial video presentation of Sen. Imee Marcos, which alleged that Malacañang was pushing a “no election” scenario in 2028 through Charter change proposals.
“Slip of the tongue po iyon in the middle of a heated debate, and I will take full responsibility because I should have been more careful with my words,” Zubiri said in a Facebook post on Tuesday.
The former Senate president made the remark while moving to strike out Marcos’ video presentation from the Senate records, saying the chamber should not be used to spread intrigue or unparliamentary language.
“Inday Badiday na ba tayo dito sa Senado? Kaya ang sinasabi, we are a circus. I apologize to those who are watching,” Zubiri said during the session.
He later clarified that his frustration was directed at the use of the Senate floor for what he described as political intrigue, not at the late journalist or her legacy.
“My frustration was about the video shown on the Senate floor, and I never meant to disrespect the memory or reduce her legacy to politics,” Zubiri said.
Badiday, whose real name was Maria Lourdes Jimenez-Carvajal, was widely known in Philippine entertainment journalism as the “Queen of Intrigues” for her work in showbiz talk shows that focused on celebrity stories, controversies, and scandals.
Zubiri said he regretted bringing Badiday’s name into a political debate.
“Again, I deeply apologize to the family and will be more mindful moving forward,” he added.
Sen. Panfilo Lacson also defended Badiday’s reputation, describing her as an authentic, truthful, trusted, and credible showbiz journalist.
The apology came as the Senate faced criticism over the heated exchanges that followed Marcos’ privilege speech and the disputed video presentation, which some senators questioned for its content and propriety.