Escudero asks SC to disbar critic
Sen. Francis “Chiz” Escudero has sought the disbarment of a lawyer over “speculative” and “malicious” social media posts regarding his supposed insertions in the national budget.
In a complaint submitted to the Supreme Court (SC) on Monday, Escudero asked the justices to disbar lawyer Jesus Nicardo Falcis, who was found guilty of direct and indirect contempt in a 2018 case that sought—but failed—to push for the legalization of same-sex marriage in the country.
Aside from being cited for contempt by the high tribunal, Falcis was also fined P5,000 for allegedly failing to observe provisions on propriety and fidelity under Canon VI of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability.
Escudero, likewise a lawyer and member of the Philippine Bar, enumerated several instances in which Falcis made public posts on Facebook that contained “accusatory, defamatory, demeaning, speculative, hateful and/or malicious statements and remarks” against him.
“Unfortunately, and as will be shown hereunder, such statements and remarks are actually gratuitous instruments of contempt designed to publicly humiliate [the] complainant. As such, their irresponsible and unrestrained character serves to provide a bad and scandalous example of how a lawyer should not behave publicly,” Escudero said.
In a statement, Falcis said it was Escudero who should be disbarred for publicizing the disbarment proceedings, which, according to the Rules of Court, should be private and confidential.
“He is a Senator of the Republic. I am but one of the many Filipinos who are calling out his reprehensible actions as a public official,” Falcis said.
July 21 post
In his petition, the senator pointed to a July 21 post of Falcis that said: “Ang kapal ng mukha ni Chiz Escudero na pagalitan ang House of Representatives for budget insertions and pork barrel pero siya pala mismo, hitik na hitik ang insertions! (The nerve of Chiz Escudero to scold the House of Representatives over budget insertions and pork barrel, when he himself is loaded with insertions!)”
Escudero likewise cited a Sept. 6 post of Falcis about his alleged political ties with Lawrence Lubiano, saying that it “sweepingly” suggested that the lawmaker’s supposed insertions in the 2025 national budget for projects in Sorsogon were a “quid pro quo” for Lubiano’s campaign donation in the 2022 elections.
Lubiano, the president of Centerways Construction and Development Inc., is being investigated by the Commission on Elections after he was found to have donated P30 million to Escudero when the latter ran for the Senate in 2022. The poll body has also asked Escudero for an explanation.
Under the Omnibus Election Code, candidates cannot source any “contribution for purposes of partisan political activity … directly or indirectly” from, among others, people who hold government contracts or subcontracts.
Escudero also mentioned in his petition another post by Falcis on Sept. 24, which went: “Chiz Escudero is in an emergency meeting with his lawyers and crisis managers in BGC (Bonifacio Global City) today in preparation for tomorrow’s Senate Blue Ribbon.”
Public conviction
“The unrestrained tone above is rendered in so-called gotcha fashion, which can virtually ‘convict’ [the] complainant in the public mind. Again, this lack of civility and non-observance of fairness compromises the image of [the] legal profession,” Escudero said.
The “irresponsible conduct and vitriolic language” of Falcis, he added, prompted him to urgently raise the matter before the SC.
“A victim like [the] complainant is virtually ‘sentenced’ in the bar of public opinion that now exists also in cyberspace. Be that as it may, clearly at stake here is not only complainant’s good name and reputation, but also the integrity and honor of the legal profession,” Escudero added.
He noted that his status as a public official does not give Falcis an “unbridled discretion” to attack him and put him in “public ridicule.”
Roberto Bernardo, a former Department of Public Works and Highways official, told the Senate blue ribbon committee last week that he delivered P160 million to Escudero’s friend and campaign contributor, Maynard Ngu, representing the senator’s supposed cut from infrastructure projects.
