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By Jeffrey Damicog
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) has advised lawyers to always maintain high moral standards.
The IBP gave the reminder after House of Representatives Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez, who himself is lawyer, recently admitted having a girlfriend even though he remains married to wife Emily Alvarez.
Integrated Bar of the Philippines logo
(MANILA BULLETIN)
“The IBP has always and shall always maintain the highest standards of morality, behavior and professionalism among its members,” said IBP president Rosario Setias-Reyes in a statement.
“As members of a noble profession and as officers of the court, lawyers are held to a higher standard than most and these standards are seriously enforced by the Supreme Court and by the IBP as the mandatory organizations of lawyers,” she stated.
Alvarez has already dared anyone to file a disbarment complaint against him regarding his girlfriend Jennifer Vicencio.
Despite this, the IBP assured Alvarez that it will ensure that he will be accorded due process should a complaint be filed against him.
“In the event that someone should file a complaint against Congressman Alvarez, he will, of course, be granted the full measure of his rights to due process but these shall be the same standards against which his actions shall be measured,” Retes stated.
It has been reported that Alvarez had a falling out with his friend, Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio Floirendo.
Alvarez had already filed a graft case against Floirendo over the alleged anomalous multi-million deal with the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) for the lease of its land for his banana plantation.
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