The Supreme Court handed down a one-year suspension to Atty. @jesusfalcis.
His offense? A 2018 tweet where he fiercely defended his brother by using vulgar language (“Paky* kayo mga g*ga”!).
The High Court ruled it as simple misconduct and declared that the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) strictly mandates lawyers to maintain dignified language, even on personal social media accounts.
Okay, if the baseline for "dignity of the profession" is THAT strict, how on earth is Vice President Sara Duterte, who is also a lawyer, still holding onto her law license?
If we are talking about actual violations, her verbatim, public receipts are entirely unhinged.
Let us enumerate some:
1. Sara Duterte didn't just casually throw bad words around.
In her streamed press briefings, she completely abandoned any shred of professional decorum and screamed on live broadcast:
“P*tang ina mo BBM! P*tang ina mo Liza! P*tang ina mo Martin! P*tang ina ninyong lahat!”
“Binastos pa nila sa pagsisinungaling nila na kesyo taksil, kesyo corrupt, abusado. P*tang ina ninyo, sino ang corrupt?”
2. Let's NEVER forget when she was a city mayor and an active member of the bar.
Instead of upholding the law, she literally used a court sheriff as a human punching bag!
She grabbed him and repeatedly punched him in the face and head on camera just for executing a lawful court order.
Kagalang-galang yarn?
3. She openly admitted on live television to hiring an assassin to target the country's top leaders if a supposed plot against her succeeded:
“I’ve talked to a person. I said, if I get killed, don’t stop until you k*ll BBM, Liza Araneta, and Martin Romualdez. No joke. No joke."
4. She casually bragged during a press conference about threatening to desecrate a former president's remains:
“Isang beses, sinabihan ko talaga si Sen. Imee. Sabi ko sa kanya, kung hindi kayo tumigil, huhukayin ko 'yang tatay ninyo, itatapon ko siya sa West Philippine Sea!”
5. She publicly detailed her thoughts of extreme physical violence against the sitting president:
“I wanted to remove his head. I realized the relationship was already toxic... [I] just imagine myself cutting his head."
An ordinary attorney gets a one-year suspension for typing profanities on Twitter to protect his sibling.
Meanwhile, a high-profile lawyer and the sitting Vice President can publicly brag about hitmen, look at a camera to detail cutting off the President's head, threaten to dig up a former president’s corpse, physically assault a court sheriff, and scream “p*tang ina ninyong lahat" on live broadcast with zero professional consequences!
Hello, IBP? Ano na?
The CPRA allows you to initiate disbarment proceedings motu proprio when a lawyer's misconduct is THIS flagrant and very public!
The rules apparently apply to everyone except her.
Time to strip her of that license!
###
Statement
I accept the wisdom of the Supreme Court to suspend me for one year. All lawyers are under the disciplinary power of the Court and I am no exception.
Back in 2018 to 2019, I was fighting for the life and liberty of my brother. And my family’s safety and reputation.
I felt helpless and powerless except for my small voice on social media. We were nobodies and I was screaming against the void.
If being suspended is the price I have to pay for defending my family, then it is a price I will pay in any lifetime.
I recognize that words, contained in a tweet, have power and my choice of words should have consequences. All lawyers should be held accountable for their words and actions.
That is why I prostrate myself to the Supreme Court for disciplining me and in the same vein, I beg the Honorable Court to resolve the pending disbarment cases of former President Rodrigo Duterte and Vice President Sara Duterte, to show that indeed, no one is above the law.
And to our dear Senator-Judges, if a lawyer like me can be suspended for cursing, then a Vice President like Sara Duterte should likewise be answerable not just for cursing but for threatening the life of the President and the First Lady.
Accountability should apply to all, big or small.
#Accountability
@nabunturanguy Every day, either on print or media we see lawyers CUSSING, threatening which is unbecoming of a lawyer but no action was taken against them! The timing of that suspension is HIGHLY SUSPICIOUS!🤬🤨
🚨 Cong. Terry Ridon says there’s new evidence of Sara Duterte having properties not declared in her SALNs.
If ex Chief Justice Renato Corona was convicted for failure to declare his properties…
…then Sara Duterte should be convicted for the exact same reason. 👊
#ImpeachHer
Anong “accountability” from Kakampinks ang “hinihingi” ng pedophile na ito sa pagkamatay ng basketball player ng ADMU? May EJK bang naganap sa drowning incident na yun? Sorry, juxtaposing “our supposed hypocrisy” to that of this PDF’s hypocrisy, per @jflorenzana
@nabunturanguy@jflorenzana Itong mga futa killer na ito sa lahat na lang opinyon natin ang importante!🤨 What does drowning have to do with EJK? Two different situations, MY GOODNESS!🤦♀️🤬
@AltIndayBadiday I totally agree, it’s about time that the catholic church stands up for the right candidate who has moral compass and integrity otherwise this country will go into the hands of those CROOKS dressed in sheep’s clothing🤨😏
Ano bang outfit yan Inday oi!
Minsan2 ka na nga lang magbibihis para magmukha kang patriotic (kahit pakitang-tao lang), hindi ka pa mag dress up appropriately according to your position in government.