Philippines court disbars Marcos Jr adviser over ‘indisputably scandalous’ remarks against journalist

Apex court disbars Lorenzo Gadon by a unanimous vote of 15-0

File: Members of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on 28 August 2018 (AFP via Getty Images)

The Philippines Supreme Court on Wednesday unanimously disbarred the advisor to president Ferdinand Marcos Jr over his sexist remarks against a journalist.

Suspended lawyer Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon was recently appointed as adviser for poverty alleviation by the president.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, the press information office of the country’s Supreme Court said that by “a unanimous vote of 15-0” it disbarred Mr Gadon for his profane remarks against journalist Raissa Robles, after a clip of the incident went viral.

“The court found the subject video clip as ‘indisputably scandalous that it discredits the legal profession’,” read the press release. “The court pointed out that Gadon, unfortunately, failed to realise that lawyers are expected to avoid scandalous behavior, whether in their public or private life.”

This is not the first time that Mr Gadon has been suspended by the court.

The press information office noted that Mr “Gadon has been previously convicted by the court and suspended from practice of law for three months for similarly using offensive and intemperate language, and was warned that a repetition of the same offence will merit more severe sanction”.

The current incident dated back to December 2021, when Mr Gadon posted a clip of himself verbally abusing South China Morning Post journalist Raissa Robles, who had posted about tax issues surrounding then-presidential candidate Mr Marcos Jr, reported Inquirer.net.

Mr Gadon, however, did not express any remorse for his behavior.

In a statement to ABS-CBN New, Mr Gadon said he will file a motion for reconsideration "on the ground that the penalty is too harsh for the alleged cause which was my outburst against a reporter who was blatantly spreading lies against President during the campaign period intended to fool the public on issues intended to cause damage to the candidacy of Pres Ferdinand Marcos Jr".

The court’s order, however, would not affect his current role as an adviser to the president because it does not require any lawyering, Mr Gadon told the outlet, as he downplayed the impact of the court’s decision.

"I will treat this matter as a personal concern as it will not also affect my commitment to president Ferdinand Marcos Jr to help his administration achieve its goals and implement its programs to serve the public, particularly on the aspect of poverty alleviation."