IC Mendoza Slams Zubiri for Using Inday Badiday in a Political Argument
IC Mendoza — The former child actor publicly called out Juan Miguel Zubiri after the senator mentioned the late entertainment icon Inday Badiday during a heated debate in the Philippine Senate.
IC expressed disappointment over the use of his grandmother’s name in political discussions, saying she had passed away many years ago and should no longer be dragged into political arguments and comparisons.
The issue began during a Senate plenary session on May 25, 2026, when Senator Zubiri strongly reacted to a video presented by Imee Marcos. The video allegedly suggested that he was among the senators supporting charter change through a constitutional assembly.
Zubiri denied the accusation and criticized the video, calling it biased political propaganda. He also said that if Senator Marcos had frustrations, she should direct them toward the government or her own allies instead of involving people who were not connected to the issue.
During his speech, Zubiri compared the situation in the Senate to the style associated with Inday Badiday, a well-known entertainment columnist famous for celebrity gossip and controversial discussions during her time. He said the Senate was beginning to look like a circus because of the kind of language and behavior being displayed in the chamber. His remarks quickly gained attention online and caused the late TV personality’s name to trend on social media more than two decades after her death.
IC Mendoza later responded through Facebook, defending his grandmother’s legacy. He explained that Inday Badiday was more than just a showbiz personality because she helped shape Philippine pop culture and entertainment journalism. According to him, reducing her contributions to a negative political comparison was disrespectful and unfair to her memory.