By Gabriela Baron
The Supreme Court (SC) penalized five lawyers over homophobic remarks on social media.
In a 26-page Per Curiam Decision, the SC reprimanded Atty. Morgan Rosales Nicanor, Atty. Joseph Marion Peña Navarrete, Atty. Noel V. Antay Jr., and Atty. Israel P. Calderon.
The High Court also imposed a P25,000 fine on Atty. Ernesto A. Tabujara III for violating Rule 7.03 of the Code of Professional Responsibility.
The SC found Facebook posts laced with homophobic undertones, with descriptions of the convict and the judge that are “uncalled for and have no context in the narrative, thus showing gender bias.”
The posts, the SC continued, also include statements that tend to propagate and enforce an unfair and harmful stereotype that are not representative of LGBTQIA+ individuals.
“There is no room for such stereotypes in conversations among lawyers,” SC said.
“Their fixation on the respective sexual orientations of their subjects was uncalled for and they should be more circumspect in their choice of words and be mindful of gender-fair language,” it noted.
It also issued a stern warning that a repetition of the same or similar offense “will be more severely dealt with.”
The Court also stressed that inappropriate, disrespectful, and defamatory language of lawyers, even in the private sphere, are still within the Court’s disciplinary authority. – cf
