NEWLY-APPOINTED Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon is facing disbarment complaints for his offensive statements, which means there is a possibility that he will lose his status as a lawyer.
The latest is related to his preventive suspension by the Supreme Court, which also ordered Gadon to show cause why he should not be disbarred for uttering profanities against journalist Raissa Robles
This suspension from the practice of law, handed down in January 2022, will last until lifted by the court.
It stemmed from a motu propio action of the tribunal, meaning the Supreme Court did it on its own volition in response to a public clamor to take action against Gadon’s vulgar rant that insulted the legal profession.
The court said it treated the matter as a formal administrative complaint for disbarment against Gadon.
Gadon had verbally attacked Robles for calling President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. a tax evader because of his family’s unpaid estate taxes.
Prior to this, other disbarment complaints had been filed against Gadon.
In 2021, he faced a disbarment complaint after he erroneously claimed that former President Benigno Aquino III died of HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Aquino died of renal disease secondary to diabetes.
The complaint was filed against persons living with HIV, who stated that Gadon’s statements constituted gross misconduct and blatant violations of the Code of Professional Responsibility and the Lawyer’s Oath.
In 2018, lawyer Wilfrido Garrido, Jr. filed a complaint asking that Gadon be stricken from the roll of lawyers for his alleged dishonest, arrogant, and rude conduct during the impeachment proceedings against then Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in the House justice committee.
In the same year, concerned citizens sought to disbar Gadon for cursing and flashing the dirty finger at Sereno’ supporters during a rally in Baguio City.
Also in 2018, blogger Jover Laurio and several others filed a separate disbarment complaint against Gadon over his criminal complaint against Sereno and his behavior in the Baguio rally.
In 2016, two Muslim lawyers asked that Gadon be disbarred for saying that he would kill Moros and wipe them out if they would refuse offers to hold talks to resolve the insurgency in Mindanao.
He made the statement as he aired his opposition to the proposed Bangsamoro Law. Congress subsequently approved the measure, and it was signed into law in 2018.
Gadon had also been suspended from the practice of law before.
In 2019, the Supreme Court suspended him for three months for statements he made about the use of legal remedies as slow and requiring a lot of resources, and for his malicious and arrogant language against the opposing party and her lawyer in a case in 2019.
At that time, the court had reminded him to exercise restrain and to stop using abusive and distasteful language. It also warned him that repeating the same would be dealt with more severely. Abogado.ph
