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8emlnders:
use aL your own rlsk. AlLhough lL ls made wlLh
Lhe besL efforL, we cannoL guaranLee lLs
accuracy.
We'd appreclaLe lL lf you could please keep Lhls
wlLhln Lhe block !
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
!""# %& '()")

'*+, -*./+ 0++1,+ 2,34 5*/67851369:
edro L. Llnsangan,
ComplalnanL vs. ALLy.
nlcomedes 1olenLlno
A.C. no. 6672
SepLember 4, 2009
ComplalnanL alleged LhaL
respondenL, wlLh Lhe help of
paralegal le Marle Lablano convlnced
hls cllenLs Lo Lransfer legal
represenLaLlon, alleglng LhaL
respondenL promlsed Lhem flnanclal
asslsLance and expedlLlous collecLlon
on Lhelr clalms.

1o supporL hls allegaLlons,
complalnanL presenLed Lhe sworn
affldavlL of !ames Cregorlo aLLesLlng
LhaL Lablano Lrled Lo prevall upon
hlm Lo sever hls lawyer-cllenL
relaLlons wlLh complalnanL and uLlllze
respondenL's servlces lnsLead, ln
exchange for a loan of P 30,000.

ComplalnanL aLLached calllng card of
respondenL Lo furLher subsLanLlaLe
hls clalm.

1he complalnL was referred Lo Lhe
Commlsslon on 8ar ulsclpllne (C8u)
of Lhe lnLegraLed 8ar of Lhe
hlllpplnes (l8).


ComplalnL for
dlsbarmenL flled by
edro Llnsangan of Lhe
Llnsangan Llnsangan &
Llnsangan Law Cfflce
agalnsL ALLy. nlcomedes
1olenLlno for
sollclLaLlon of cllenLs
and encroachmenL of
professlonal servlces.












(1) WheLher or noL ALLy.
nlcomedes
encroached on Lhe
professlonal pracLlce
of complalnanL
edro Llnsangan,
vlolaLlng 8ule 8.02 of
Lhe Code of
rofesslonal
8espondenL for
vlolaLlng 8ules
1.03, 2.03, 8.02
and 16.04 and
Canon 3 of Lhe
C8 and SecLlon
27, 8ule 138 of
Lhe 8ules of
CourL was
suspended from
Lhe pracLlce of
law for a perlod
of one year. Pe
was sLernly
warned LhaL a
repeLlLlon of Lhe
same or slmllar
acLs ln Lhe fuLure
shall be dealL
wlLh more
severely.

(1) nlcomedes
was gullLy of
encroachmen
L, vlolaLlng
8ule 8.02 of
Lhe C8.
(1) ln lLs reporL and recommendaLlon,
Lhe l8 found LhaL respondenL had
encroached on Lhe professlonal
pracLlce of complalnanL, vlolaLlng 8ule
8.02 and oLher canons of Lhe C8 and
vlolaLed Lhe rule agalnsL sollclLlng cases
for galn, personally or Lhrough pald
agenLs or brokers as sLaLed ln SecLlon
27, 8ule 138 of Lhe 8ules of CourL. lL
recommended LhaL respondenL be
reprlmanded wlLh a sLern warnlng LhaL
any repeLlLlon would merlL a heavler
penalLy.

1he CourL adopLed Lhe flndlngs of Lhe
l8 on Lhe uneLhlcal conducL of
respondenL buL lL modlfled Lhe
recommended penalLy.

1he lnlLlal complalnL was rooLed on Lhe
alleged vlolaLlon of 8ule 8.02 of Lhe
C8. Powever, Lhe CourL found
respondenL gullLy of several oLher
vlolaLlons. vlolaLlons are ln regard of
Lhe ff.:

o CAnCn 3 - lawyer ln maklng
known hls legal servlces shall use
only Lrue, honesL, falr, dlgnlfled
and ob[ecLlve lnformaLlon or
sLaLemenL of facLs.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
8esponslblllLy (C8).


1o allow a lawyer Lo adverLlse hls LalenL
or sklll as a merchanL would hls wares ls
Lo commerclallze and degrade Lhe
pracLlce of law.
o 8ule 2.03 - A lawyer shall noL do
or permlL Lo be done any acL
deslgned prlmarlly Lo sollclL legal
buslness.

Pence, lawyers are prohlblLed from
sollclLlng cases for Lhe purpose of galn,
elLher personally or Lhrough pald
agenLs of brokers. ln connecLlon Lo 8ule
2.03, 8ule 1.03 provldes:

o A lawyer shall noL, for any corrupL
moLlve or lnLeresL, encourage any
sulL or proceedlng or delay any
man's cause.

1hls rule proscrlbes ambulance
chaslng" (Lhe sollclLaLlon of almosL any
klnd of legal buslness by an aLLorney,
personally or Lhrough an agenL ln order
Lo galn employmenL).

Moreover, by engaglng ln a money-
lendlng venLure wlLh hls cllenLs as
borrowers, respondenL vlolaLed 8ule
16.04, Lhe rule sLaLlng:

o . nelLher shall a lawyer lend
money Lo a cllenL excepL, when ln
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
Lhe lnLeresL of [usLlce, he has Lo
advance necessary expenses ln a
legal maLLer he ls handllng for Lhe
cllenL.

lL may be noLed LhaL respondenL never
denled havlng Lhe seafarers ln hls cllenL
llsL nor recelvlng beneflLs from
Lablano's referrals. Pe also never
denled Lablano's connecLlon Lo hls
offlce.

Conslderlng Lhe myrlad lnfracLlons of
Lhe respondenL, Lhe CourL consldered
Lhe l8's recommended sancLlon as a
wlmpy slap on Lhe wrlsL. 1hus, Lhe
CourL ruled Lo suspend respondenL for
a year.

AddlLlonal ueLalls:

1he calllng card Lablano used
ConLalned Lhe phrase wlLh flnanclal
asslsLance." 1he phrase was clearly
used Lo enLlce cllenLs (who already had
represenLaLlon) Lo change counsels
wlLh a promlse of loans Lo flnance Lhelr
legal acLlons.

Sophla Alawl,
ComplalnanL vs. Ashary
M. Alauya, Clerk of
CourL vl, Sharl'a
ulsLrlcL CourL, Marawl
Sophla Alawl was (and presumably
sLlll ls) a sales represenLaLlve (or
coordlnaLor) of L. 8. vlllarosa &
arLners Co., LLd. of uavao ClLy, a real
esLaLe and houslng company. Asharl
(1) WheLher or noL
Alauya vlolaLed Lhe
Code of ConducL
and LLhlcal
SLandards for ubllc
(1) Alauya
commlLLed a
vlolaLlon of
8A 6713,
parLlcularly
(1) SecLlon 4 of 8A 6713
commands LhaL publlc offlclals and
employees aL all Llmes respecL Lhe
rlghLs of oLhers" and refraln from
dolng acLs conLrary Lo law, good
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
ClLy, 8espondenL
286 SC8A 628
M. Alauya ls Lhe lncumbenL execuLlve
clerk of courL of Lhe 4Lh !udlclal
Sharl'a ulsLrlcL ln Marawl ClLy. 1hey
were classmaLes, and used Lo be
frlends.

1hrough Alawl's agency, a conLracL
for Lhe purchase on Lhe lnsLallmenLs
by Alauya of a houslng unlL belonglng
Lo Lhe above menLloned flrm.

A houslng loan was granLed Lo Alauya
by Lhe naLlonal Pome MorLgage
llnance CorporaLlon (nPMlC)

SubsequenLly, Alauya wroLe a leLLer
addressed Lo Lhe resldenL of
vlllarosa & Co. advlslng LermlnaLlon
of hls conLracL on grounds LhaL hls
consenL was vlLlaLed by gross
mlsrepresenLaLlon, decelL, fraud,
dlshonesLy and abuse of confldence
by Alawl and proceeded Lo expound
wlLh Lhe use of acerblc language.

A copy of Lhe leLLer whlch bore no
sLamps, and marked wlLh Lhe words
lree osLage - u 26" was senL Lo
Lhe vlce-resldenL of vlllarosa & Co.
Alauya also wroLe Lo Lhe nPMlC
repudlaLlng as vold hls conLracL wlLh
vlllarosa & Co. and asklng for Lhe
cancellaLlon of hls loan. 1hls was
followed by Lhree furLher leLLers
Cfflclals and
Lmployees (8A
6713)






(2) WheLher or noL
Alauya, belng a
member of Lhe
Sharl'a 8ar ls
warranLed Lo use
Lhe LlLle of
ALLorney"
SecLlon 4 of
Lhe Code.







(2) 8espondenL
ls
unwarranLed
ln hls use of
Lhe LlLle
ALLorney"
whlch ls
reserved only
Lo Lhose
admlLLed as
members of
Lhe
lnLegraLed
8ar

morals, good cusLoms, publlc pollcy,
publlc order, publlc safeLy and publlc
lnLeresL."

1he CourL flnds Alauya's use of
excesslvely lnLemperaLe, lnsulLlng or
vlrulenL language reprehenslble and
unbecomlng of a [udlclal offlcer.

(2) 1he CourL has already declared
LhaL persons who pass Lhe Sharl'a 8ar
are noL full-fledged members of Lhe
hlllpplne 8ar. Whlle one who has
been admlLLed Lo Lhe Sharl'a 8ar, and
one who has been admlLLed Lo Lhe
hlllpplne 8ar, may boLh be consldered
counselors," ln Lhe sense LhaL Lhey
glve counsel or advlce ln a professlonal
capaclLy, only Lhe laLLer ls an
aLLorney." 1he LlLle ls reserved Lo
Lhose who, havlng obLalned Lhe
necessary degree ln Lhe sLudy of law
and successfully Laken Lhe 8ar
LxamlnaLlons, have been admlLLed Lo
Lhe l8 and remaln members Lhereof
ln good sLandlng.

ln vlew of Lhe aforesLaLed
conslderaLlons, respondenL ls
reprlmanded for Lhe use of excesslvely
lnLemperaLe, lnsulLlng or vlrulenL
language and for usurplng Lhe LlLle of
aLLorney.

!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
lmplorlng Lhe same.

8espondenL also wroLe Lo Lhe Pead
of Lhe llscal ManagemenL & 8udgeL
Cfflce, and Lo Lhe Chlef, llnance
ulvlslon, boLh of Lhe CourL, Lo sLop
deducLlons from hls salary ln relaLlon
Lo Lhe loan ln quesLlon.

Cn learnlng of Alauya's leLLers, Alawl
flled wlLh Lhls courL a verlfled
complalnL accuslng respondenL of:

o lmpuLaLlon of mallclous and
llbelous charges wlLh no solld
grounds Lhrough manlfesL
lgnorance and evldenL bad
falLh.
o Causlng undue ln[ury Lo, and
blemlshlng her honor and
esLabllshed repuLaLlon.
o unauLhorlzed en[oymenL of Lhe
prlvllege of free posLage, and
o usurpaLlon of Lhe LlLle of
aLLorney," whlch only regular
members of Lhe hlllpplne 8ar
may properly use.



ln re Cuardlanshlp of
Lhe lncapcaclLaLed
vlcenLe Arevalo
lL8nAnuC A8CL,
clalmanL-appellanL vs.
ClalmanL lernando Arce, ln vlew of
servlces rendered ln connecLlon wlLh
Lhe guardlanshlp of Lhe lncapaclLaLed
vlcenLe Arevalo, prays LhaL he be
pald Lhe sum of P 3,000. Powever,
WheLher or noL
peLlLloners clalm Lo be
pald Lhe sum of P
3,000 should be
granLed.
1he CourL
susLalned Lhe
appeal and
modlfled Lhe
sum, enLlLllng
1he CourL was of Lhe oplnlon LhaL Lhe
Lrlal courL was overly sLrlcL ln arrlvlng
an aL amounL whlch would adequaLely
compensaLe ALLy. Arce for hls legal
work.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
1he hlllpplne naLlonal
8ank, guardlan-
appellee
62 hll. 369
guardlan of Lhe lncapaclLaLed offered
only Lhe sum of P 200 and upon
hearlng before Lhe CourL of llrsL
lnsLance of Manlla, Lhe sum was
ralsed Lo P 400.

Servlces ln quesLlon lnvolve
preparaLlon of a paeLlLlon praylng for
Lhe appolnLmenL of a guardlan of Lhe
person of Lhe lncapaclLaLed and a
successful concluslon afLer a hearlng
ln courL, conducLed cerLaln
negoLlaLlons wlLh Lhe banks, made
Lhe necessary lnvesLlgaLlon, and
aLLended Lo oLher lncldenLal maLLers.

1he lnvenLory of Lhe properLles
belonglng Lo Lhe lncapaclLaLed
vlcenLe Arevalo showed hlm Lo be
worLh approxlmaLely half a mllllon
pesos.

eLlLloner Arce
Lo P 1,000.

1he law ls a professlon, noL a buslness.
AL Lhe same Llme, professlonal men are
enLlLled Lo have and recover from Lhelr
cllenLs a reasonable compensaLlon for
Lhelr servlces rendered wlLh a vlew Lo
Lhe lmporLance of Lhe sub[ecL maLLer of
Lhe conLroversy, Lo Lhe exLenL of Lhe
servlces rendered, and Lhe professlonal
sLandlng of Lhe lawyer. ursuanL Lo Lhe
power enLrusLed Lo Lhe courLs Lo base
concluslons on Lhelr professlonal
knowledge relaLlve Lo Lhe fees whlch
should be rewarded lawyers, courLs
have consLanLly Lo proLecL cllenLs from
unconsclonable or unreasonable clalms.
Cn Lhe oLher hand, Lhe sLandlng of Lhe
members of Lhe bar ls noL enhanced by
qulbbllng relaLlve Lo [usL fees,
equlvalenL Lo Lhe bargalnlng had
beLween a prospecLlve purchaser and a
merchanL ln Lhe markeLs before a sale
ls made.lawphl1.neL
1aklng lnLo conslderaLlon Lhe
esLabllshed facLs and Lhe facLors whlch
deLermlne a reasonable compensaLlon
for a lawyers, we belleve LhaL ALLorney
Arce ls enLlLled Lo 1,000 for hls
servlces.

lranclsco Lorenzana,
complalnanL vs. ALLy.
ln a verlfled complalnL, complalnanL
alleged LhaL respondenL, whlle
eLlLlon for dlsbarmenL
agalnsL ALLy. Cesar C.
ln vlew of Lhe
conslderaLlons


!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
Cesar C. la[ardo,
respondenL
A.C. no. 3812
!une 29, 2003
employed as Legal Cfflcer v aL Lhe
urban SeLLlemenL Cfflce ln Manlla,
unLll hls reLlremenL on May 13, 2002,
was a member of Lhe eople's Law
LnforcemenL 8oard (LL8) of Cuezon
ClLy, recelvlng monLhly honorarlum
of P 4,000. Pe was also a member
of Lhe Lupong 1agapamayapa of
8arangay novallches roper, also
recelvlng a monLhly
allowance/honorarlum.

ComplalnanL also alleged LhaL
respondenL was engaged ln Lhe
prlvaLe pracLlce of law, recelvlng
accepLance fees ranglng from P
20,000 Lo P 30,000. Pe llves ln a
house and loL owned by
complalnanL's famlly wlLhouL paylng
any renLal and refuses Lo leave Lhe
place desplLe Lhe laLLer's demands.

Case was broughL Lo Lhe l8 and
upon lnvesLlgaLlon, flled a
recommendaLlon Lo Lhe CourL.
la[ardo






(1) WheLher or noL
respondenL's
appolnLmenL as a
member of Lhe
Lupong
1agapamayapa and
recelpL of honorarla
whlle concurrenLly
employed ln Lhe
Manlla urban
SeLLlemenLs Cfflce
ls unlawful.



(2) WheLher or noL
respondenL's
appolnLmenL as
LL8 member ls a
vlolaLlon of Lhe
prohlblLlon agalnsL
dual appolnLmenLs
or employmenL of
governmenL
offlclals or
employees.

presenLed by Lhe
CourL, ALLy. Cesar
C. la[ardo was
suspended from
Lhe pracLlce of
law for 6 monLhs.

(1) Pls
appolnLmenL
ln Lhe
Lupong
1agapamaya
pa and
recelpL of
honorarla ls
lawful as
enunclaLed
ln Lhe Local
CovernmenL
Code of
1991.

(2) Pls
appolnLmenL
ln Lhe LL8 ls
conLrary Lo
law as
enunclaLed
ln SecLlon 7,
ArLlcle lx-8
of Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon.









(1) SecLlon 406 deflnlng Lhe
CaharacLer of Cfflce and Servlce of
Lupon members allows governmenL
offlclals and employees Lo slL as lupon
or pangkaL members.










(2) ln [usLlfylng hls appolnLmenL as
LL8 member,respondenL lnvoked
SecLlon 43 of 8A no. 6973. Powever,
Lhe CourL flnds LhaL sald provlslon
referred only Lo Lhe compensaLlon of
LL8 members and cannoL be
consLrued as an excepLlon Lo Lhe
ConsLlLuLlonal and sLaLuLory prohlblLlon
agalnsL dual or mulLlple appolnLmenLs
of appolnLlve publlc offlclals.

1he CourL flnds respondenL Lo have
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!













(3) WheLher or noL
respondenL's
appearance as
counsel ln several
cases was unlawful.













(3) 1he CourL
flnds hls
appearance
as counsel
for cases as
noL merely
lsolaLed and
ls unlawful.
falled ln esLabllshlng LhaL hls prlmary
funcLlons as Legal Cfflcer of Lhe Manlla
urban SeLLlemenLs Cfflce allow hls
appolnLmenL as LL8 member and ln
vlolaLlon of Canon 1 of Lhe Code of
rofesslonal 8esponslblllLy whlch
sLaLes:

o Canon 1. A lawyer shall uphold
Lhe ConsLlLuLlon, obey Lhe laws
of Lhe land, promoLe respecL for
law and legal processes.

(3) 1he CourL found respondenL's
appearance as counsel as noL merely
lsolaLed. Lvldence presenLed by
complalnanL shows LhaL he had an
exLenslve pracLlce of law. 8espondenL
even malnLalned hls own law offlce.

8espondenL [usLlfled hls pracLlce by
saylng LhaL hls offlce was noL sLrlcL ln
vlew of such maLLers as Lhey were ofLen
called for free servlce even on holldays.
AL mosL, he should have asked wrlLLen
permlsslon from hls chlef as requlred by
SecLlon 12, 8ule xvlll of Lhe 8evlsed
Clvll Servlce 8ules LhaL no offlcer or
employee shall engage dlrecLly ln any
prlvaLe buslness, vocaLlon or professlon
or be connecLed wlLh any commerclal,
credlL, agrlculLural or lndusLrlal
underLaklng wlLhouL a wrlLLen
permlsslon from Lhe head of Lhe
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
ueparLmenL."

Sps. Amador and
8oslLa 1e[ada,
eLlLloners vs. ALLy.
AnLonluLLl k. alana,
8espondenL
A.C. no. 7434
AugusL 23, 2007
SomeLlme on !anuary, 2001,
respondenL lawyer AnLonluLLl k.
alana Laklng advanLage of hls speclal
knowledge as a lawyer represenLed
Lo Lhe peLlLloners LhaL he has an
alleged parcel of land covered by
1ransfer CerLlflcaLe of 1lLle no.
(73196) 16789 and LhaL he needs an
amounL of P 100,000 so LhaL he
could reconsLlLuLe Lhe Lorrens LlLle on
Lhe same.

8espondenL lnduced peLlLloners Lo
belleve LhaL afLer Lhe seLLllng maLLers
perLalnlng Lo Lhe LlLle, he shall
recompensaLe Lhe peLlLloner spouses
ln Lhe amounL of P 170,000.

1he agreemenL was evldenced by
Lhelr wrlLLen agreemenL whlch also
purporL Lhe recelpL of Lhe amounL by
Lhe respondenL.

Powever, afLer respondenL lawyer,
AnLonluLLl k. alana had goLLen Lhe
P 100,000 amounL from Lhe
peLlLloner spouses, respondenL from
LhaL Llme on up Lo Lhe presenL had
lnLenLlonally evaded Lhe
performance of hls due, [usL, legal
and demandable obllgaLlons Lo
peLlLloner spouses.
eLlLloners-spouses
8oslLa and Amador
1e[ada flled a ComplalnL
AffldavlL before Lhe
lnLegraLed 8ar of Lhe
hlllpplnes (l8) Lo
lnlLlaLe dlsbarmenL
proceedlngs agalnsL
respondenL ALLy.
AnLonluLLl k. alana.

456 WheLher or noL
respondenL's
acLlons consLlLuLe a
vlolaLlon of hls
sworn duLy as a
lawyer Lo do [usLlce
Lo every man and
8ule 7.03 of Canon
7 of Lhe Code of
rofesslonal
8esponslblllLy.


8espondenL ALLy.
alana was
suspended from
Lhe pracLlce of
law for 6 monLhs.






(1) 8espondenL
was found Lo
have
vlolaLed,
among
oLhers, 8ule
7.03 of
Canon 7 of
Lhe Code of
rofesslonal
8esponslblllL
y.











(1) 1he 8espondenL, llke all oLher
members of Lhe bar, ls expecLed Lo
always llve up Lo Lhe sLandards
embodled ln Lhe Code of rofesslonal
8esponslblllLy, parLlcularly Lhe followlng
Canons:

o CAnCn 1 - A lawyer shall
uphold Lhe consLlLuLlon, obey
Lhe laws of Lhe land and
promoLe respecL for law and
for legal processes.

! 8ule 1.01 - A lawyer shall
noL engage ln unlawful,
dlshonesL, lmmoral or
decelLful conducL.

! 8ule 1.02 - A lawyer shall
noL counsel or abeL
acLlvlLles almed aL deflance
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!

Legal demands had already been
made Lo respondenL lawyer Lo fulflll
all hls moral and legal responslblllLles
Lo peLlLloner spouses buL all of sald
demands slmply wenL unheeded.

uesplLe due noLlce, respondenL
falled Lo flle hls answer Lo Lhe
complalnL as requlred by Lhe
Commlsslon on 8ar ulsclpllne of Lhe
l8. 8espondenL llkewlse falled Lo
appear on Lhe scheduled daLe of Lhe
mandaLory conference desplLe due
noLlce.
of Lhe law or aL lessenlng
confldence ln Lhe legal
sysLem.

o CAnCn 7 - A lawyer shall aL all
Llmes uphold Lhe lnLegrlLy and
dlgnlLy of Lhe legal professlon,
and supporL Lhe acLlvlLles of Lhe
lnLegraLed 8ar.

! 8ule 7.03 - A lawyer shall
noL engage ln conducL LhaL
adversely reflecLs on hls
flLness Lo pracLlce law, nor
should he, wheLher ln
publlc or prlvaLe llfe,
behave ln a scandalous
manner Lo Lhe dlscredlL of
Lhe legal professlon.

8espondenL knew LhaL hls
represenLaLlons were false slnce Lhe
flllng fee for a peLlLlon for
reconsLlLuLlon ln 2001 was only P
3,143, and oLher expenses lncludlng Lhe
publlcaLlon of Lhe flllng of Lhe peLlLlon
could noL have cosL more Lhan P
20,000. lL ls clear LhaL he employed
decelL ln convlnclng complalnanLs Lo
parL wlLh Lhelr hard earned money and
Lhe laLLer could noL have been easlly
swayed Lo lend Lhe money were lL noL
for hls mlsrepresenLaLlons and falled
promlses as a member of Lhe
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
bar. Moreover, when he falled Lo pay
hls [usL and legal obllgaLlon, he
dlsobeyed Lhe provlslons of Lhe Clvll
Code whlch ls one of Lhe subsLanLlve
laws he vowed Lo uphold when he Look
hls oaLh as a lawyer. LasLly, Lo
aggravaLe hls mlsconducL, he LoLally
lgnored Lhe dlrecLlves of Lhe l8 Lo
answer Lhe complalnL when he fully
knew as a lawyer LhaL Lhe compulsory
bar organlzaLlon was merely depuLlzed
by Lhls CourL Lo underLake Lhe
lnvesLlgaLlon of complalnLs agalnsL
lawyers, among whlch ls Lhe lnsLanL
complalnL.
ln 8e Syclp
92 SC8A 1
1hls ls a consolldaLed peLlLlon. 1he
flrsL one flled by Lhe survlvlng
parLners of aLLy. Alexander Syclp and
Lhe oLher flled by Lhe survlvlng
parLners of ALLy. Permlnlo
Cvaepa. 1hey pray LhaL Lhey be
allowed Lo conLlnue uslng Lhe names
of parLners who had passed away.

eLlLloners based Lhelr peLlLlons on
Lhe followlng argumenLs:
o (;/< =>%? of Lhe Clvll Code,
o ln regulaLlng oLher
professlons, Lhe leglslaLure
has auLhorlzed Lhe adopLlon
of flrm names wlLhouL any
resLrlcLlon as Lo Lhe use of
Lhe name of a deceased
parLner,
WheLher or noL flrms
may conLlnue Lo use Lhe
names of deceased
parLners ln Lhelr flrm
names?
no. Law flrms
may noL conLlnue
Lo do so
(;/< =>%? prlmarlly deals wlLh Lhe
excepLlon of llablllLy on cases of a
dlssolved parLnershlp, of Lhe lndlvldual
properLy of Lhe deceased parLner for
debLs conLracLed by Lhe person who
conLlnues Lhe buslness uslng Lhe
parLnershlp name. whaL Lhe law
conLemplaLes ls a hold over slLuaLlon
preparaLory Lo formal
reorganlzaLlon. ArL.1840 LreaLs more of
a commerclal parLnershlp wlLh a good
wlll Lo proLecL raLher Lhan a
professlonal parLnershlp whose
repuLaLlon depends on Lhe personal
quallflcaLlons of lLs lndlvldual members.

A parLnershlp for Lhe pracLlce of law
cannoL be llkened Lo parLnershlps
formed by oLher professlonals or for
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
o Lhe Canons of rofesslonal
LLhlcs allows Lhe conLlnued
use of a deceased parLner
when permlsslble by local
cusLom

buslness. A parLnershlp for Lhe pracLlce
of law ls noL a legal enLlLy. lL ls noL
a parLnershlp formed for Lhe purpose of
carrylng on Lrade or buslness or of
holdlng properLy. 1hus, assumed or
Lrade name ln law pracLlce ls
lmproper. 1he rlghL Lo pracLlce law ls
noL a naLural or consLlLuLlonal rlghL buL
ls ln Lhe naLure of a prlvllege or
franchlse.

lL musL be consldered LhaL ln Lhe
hlllpplnes, no local cusLom permlLs or
allows Lhe conLlnued use of a deceased
parLner's name. 1herefore, Lhe clLed
provlslon on Canons of rofesslonal
LLhlcs ls noL appllcable.

ulssenLlng Cplnlon:

eLlLlon may be granLed wlLh Lhe
condlLlon LhaL lL be lndlcaLed ln Lhe
leLLerheads of Lhe 2 flrms LhaL Syclp
and Cvaepa are deceased or Lhe perlod
when Lhey served as parLners should be
sLaLed Lhereln.

ln 8e: Cunanan, eL al.
94 hll. 343
1931 " ),9*/, @633 A7< =B almed Lo
reduce Lhe passlng general average ln
bar examlnaLlons Lo 70 effecLlve
slnce 1946. lL was veLoed.

!une 21, 1933 " ),9*/, @633 A7< CD=
(whlch was of Lhe same essence oas
(1) WheLher or noL 5<(<
A7< EDB ls
unconsLlLuLlonal on Lhe
ground LhaL Lhrough lL,
Lhe leglslaLlve
encroaches on Lhe
!udlclary's excluslve
(1) ?es. 5<(< A7<
EDB ls noL
leglslaLlon buL a
[udgmenL by Lhe
leglslaLlve
deparLmenL
whlch revokes
(1) 5<(< A7< EDB wlll endanger Lhe
publlc by admlLLlng unquallfled
lndlvlduals Lo Lhe 8ar.
o 8y lLs declared ob[ecLlve, Lhe law ls
!"#$%&%' $" )*+,-! -#$.%./$ because
lL quallfles 1,094 law graduaLes who
confessedly had lnadequaLe
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
)<@< A7< =B) was Lhen passed and
became law wlLhouL Lhe presldenL's
slgnaLure. 1hls became 5<(< A7< EDB
popularly known as Lhe F@*;
-319G,;H+ (./ 7I =EJCK.

5<(< A7< EDB has for lLs ob[ecL Lo
admlL Lo Lhe 8ar Lhose candldaLes
who suffered from lnsufflclency of
readlng maLerlals and lnadequaLe
preparaLlon.

AfLer lL's approval, many
unsuccessful posLwar candldaLes flled
peLlLlons for admlsslon Lo Lhe bar
lnvoklng lLs provlslons.
power Lo admlL
candldaLes Lo Lhe 8ar.


(2) ls 5<(< A7< EDB a
class leglslaLlon?
Lhose
promulgaLed by
Lhe CourL.

(2) ?es, lL seL's
aslde a class of
people and
excluslvely
applles a law for
Lhelr beneflL.
preparaLlon for Lhe pracLlce of Lhe
professlon, as was exacLly found by
Lhls 1rlbunal ln Lhe aforesald
examlnaLlons. 1he publlc lnLeresL
demands of legal professlon
adequaLe preparaLlon and
efflclency, preclsely more so as
legal problem evolved by Lhe Llmes
become more dlfflculL.
o 1o Lhe legal professlon ls enLrusLed
Lhe proLecLlon of properLy, llfe,
honor and clvll llberLles. 1o approve
offlclally of Lhose lnadequaLely
prepared lndlvlduals Lo dedlcaLe
Lhemselves Lo such a dellcaLe
mlsslon ls Lo creaLe a serlous soclal
danger.

" ln Lhe hlllpplnes [udlclal sysLem, Lhe
admlsslon, suspenslon, dlsbarmenL and
relnsLaLemenL of aLLorneys aL law ln Lhe
pracLlce of Lhe professlon and Lhelr
supervlslon have been lndlspuLably a
[udlclal funcLlon and responslblllLy.
o 1he relaLlon of Lhe bar Lo Lhe courLs
ls a pecullar and lnLlmaLe
relaLlonshlp. 1he bar ls an aLLache
of Lhe courLs. 1he quallLy of [usLlce
dlspensed by Lhe courLs depends ln
no small degree upon Lhe lnLegrlLy
of lLs bar. An unfalLhful bar may
easlly brlng scandal and reproach Lo
Lhe admlnlsLraLlon of [usLlce and
brlng Lhe courLs Lhemselves lnLo
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
dlsrepuLe.
o 1he CourL can revoke lLs own
[udgmenLs wlLh regard Lo
admlLLance Lo Lhe 8ar, buL 0123
Lhe courL can do so - noL Lhe
leglslaLlve nor Lhe execuLlve. Any
aLLempL on Lhe parL of any of Lhese
deparLmenLs would be a clear
usurpaLlon of lLs funcLlons, as ls Lhe
case wlLh Lhe law ln quesLlon.
o Congress may repeal, alLer and
supplemenL Lhe rules promulgaLed
by Lhls CourL, buL Lhe auLhorlLy and
responslblllLy over Lhe admlsslon,
suspenslon, dlsbarmenL and
relnsLaLemenL of aLLorneys aL law
and Lhelr supervlslon remaln vesLed
ln Lhe Supreme CourL.

(2) lf Lhe leglslaLure had any rlghL Lo
admlL aLLorneys Lo pracLlce ln Lhe
courLs and Lake parL ln Lhe
admlnlsLraLlon of [usLlce, and could
prescrlbe Lhe characLer of evldence
whlch should be recelved by Lhe courL
as concluslve of Lhe requlslLe learnlng
and ablllLy of persons Lo pracLlce law, lL
could only be done by a general law,
and noL by granLlng speclal and
excluslve prlvlleges Lo cerLaln persons
or classes of persons.
o 1he lengLh of Llme a physlclan has
pracLlced, and Lhe sklll acqulred by
experlence, may furnlsh a basls for
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
classlflcaLlon buL Lhe place where
such physlclan has reslded and
pracLlced hls professlon cannoL
furnlsh such basls, and ls an
arblLrary dlscrlmlnaLlon, maklng an
enacLmenL based upon lL vold.
8enaLo CayeLano v.
ChrlsLlan Monsod,
Pon. !ovlLo 8. Salonga,
Commlsslon on
AppolnLmenL and Pon.
Cullllermo Carague, ln
hls capaclLy as
SecreLary of 8udgeL
and ManagemenL
C.8. no. 100113
SepLember 3, 1991
8espondenL ChrlsLlan Monsod was
nomlnaLed by resldenL Corazon C.
Aqulno Lo Lhe poslLlon of Chalrman
of Lhe CCMLLLC ln a leLLer recelved
by Lhe SecreLarlaL of Lhe Commlsslon
on AppolnLmenLs on Aprll 23, 1991.
eLlLloner opposed Lhe nomlnaLlon
because allegedly Monsod does noL
possess Lhe requlred quallflcaLlon of
havlng been engaged ln Lhe pracLlce
of law for aL leasL Len years.

!une 3, 1991 " 1he Commlsslon on
AppolnLmenLs conflrmed Lhe
nomlnaLlon of Monsod as CCMLLLC
Chalrman.

!une 18, 1991 " he Look hls oaLh of
offlce. Cn Lhe same day he assumed
offlce as Chalrman of Lhe CCMLLLC.
(1) WheLher or noL
Monsod possessed Lhe
necessary requlremenL
of havlng pracLlced
law" ln Lhe lasL 10
years.
(1) ?es. 1he
deflnlLlon of
pracLlce of law"
has a llberal
consLrucLlon
whlch goes
beyond slmply
appearlng before
Lhe courL, and lL
ls Lhls llberal
consLrucLlon LhaL
Lhe framers of
Lhe 1987
ConsLlLuLlon
adhered Lo.
(1) lnLerpreLed ln Lhe llghL of Lhe
varlous deflnlLlons of Lhe Lerm racLlce
of law". parLlcularly Lhe modern
concepL of law pracLlce, and Laklng lnLo
conslderaLlon Lhe llberal consLrucLlon
lnLended by Lhe framers of Lhe
ConsLlLuLlon, ALLy. Monsod's pasL work
experlences as a lawyer-economlsL, a
lawyer-manager, a lawyer-
enLrepreneur of lndusLry, a lawyer-
negoLlaLor of conLracLs, and a lawyer-
leglslaLor of boLh Lhe rlch and Lhe poor
- verlly more Lhan saLlsfy Lhe
consLlLuLlonal requlremenL - LhaL he
has been engaged ln Lhe pracLlce of law
for aL leasL Len years.

vlvlan vlllanueva v.
ALLy. Cornellus M.
Conzales
A.C. no. 7637
lebruary 12, 2008
1hls ls a complalnL vlvlan vlllanueva
(complalnanL) flled agalnsL ALLy.
Cornellus M. Conzales (respondenL)
for fallure Lo render legal servlces
and fallure Lo reLurn Lhe money,
1ransfer CerLlflcaLe of 1lLle (1C1), and
oLher documenLs he recelved from
complalnanL.
(1) WheLher or noL
respondenL ls gullLy of
grave mlsconducL and
negllgenL behavlor.
(1) ?es. Pe ls Lhus
penallzed by
suspenslon from
pracLlce for Lwo
years.
(1)
" 8espondenL refused Lo accounL for
and reLurn hls cllenL's money
o Meneses v. Macallno " Lhe CourL
held LhaL lf [a] lawyer does noL use
Lhe money for Lhe lnLended
purpose, Lhe lawyer musL
lmmedlaLely reLurn Lhe money Lo
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!

2000 " vlllanueva engaged Lhe
servlces of Conzales ln Lransferrlng
Lhe LlLle of a properLy ln 1allsay, Cebu
as Lhe morLgager falled Lo redeem
Lhe properLy wlLhln Lhe redempLlon
perlod. She Lhus gave Conzales
8,000 as accepLance fee, Lhe
properLy's 1C1, and oLher perLlnenL
documenLs.

Powever, afLer Lhls, Lhe respondenL
began Lo avold Lhe complalnanL. She
would be Lold LhaL he's occupled
even when she vlslLed hls offlce.

!uly 2, 2003 " complalnanL Lold
respondenL LhaL she had losL her
confldence ln hlm and demanded Lhe
reLurn of Lhe documenLs and 8,000.
8espondenL refused, and lL was noL
unLll Lhe complalnanL's daughLer
confronLed hlm LhaL he reLurned Lhe
money, buL noL Lhe documenLs.

SepLember 10, 2003 " vlllanueva
flled a complalnL agalnsL Conzales
before Lhe lnLegraLed 8ar of Lhe
hlllpplnes (l8). LaLer, respondenL
nelLher submlLLed a commenL abouL
Lhe complalnL, nor aLLend Lhe
mandaLory conference.

CcLober 27, 2006 " l8
Lhe cllenL." ln Lhe lnsLanL case,
respondenL demanded 10,000 and
recelved 8,000 as accepLance fee.
Slnce he dld noL render any legal
servlce, he should have prompLly
accounLed for and reLurned Lhe
money Lo complalnanL.
o Pls fallure Lo lmmedlaLely accounL
and reLurn Lhe money upon
demand vlolaLed Lhe LrusL glven
hlm, and demonsLraLed hls lack of
lnLegrlLy and moral soundeness.

" 8espondenL refuses Lo reLurn hls
cllenL's 1C1 and oLher documenLs
o 1he CourL held LhaL fallure Lo reLurn
Lhe documenLs Lo Lhe cllenL ls
reprehenslble: Lhls CourL flnds
reprehenslble respondenL's fallure
Lo heed Lhe requesL of hls cllenL for
Lhe reLurn of Lhe case documenLs.
1haL respondenL gave no
reasonable explanaLlon for LhaL
fallure makes hls neglecL paLenL."

" 8espondenL falled Lo serve hls cllenL
wlLh fldellLy, compeLence, and dlllgence
o See '*979 =D & => of Lhe '74, 7I
L;7I,++679*3 5,+M79+6N636/O.
o An aLLorney-cllenL relaLlonshlp
beLween respondenL and
complalnanL was esLabllshed when
respondenL accepLed Lhe
accepLance fee. Slnce Lhen, he
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
Commlssloner for 8ar ulsclpllne
Caesar 8. uulay found respondenL
gullLy of grave mlsconducL and
negllgenL behavlor:
(1) Pe falled Lo perform any legal
servlce Lo hls cllenL,
(2) Pe dld noL lnform hls cllenL abouL
Lhe sLaLus of Lhe case,
(3) Pe reLurned Lhe 8,000
accepLance fee wlLhouL any
explanaLlon, and
(4) Pe was lndlfferenL. Commlssloner
uulay found LhaL respondenL vlolaLed
Canons 16 and 18 of Lhe Code of
rofesslonal 8esponslblllLy and
recommended hls suspenslon from
Lhe pracLlce of law for one year.

should have exerclsed due dlllgence
ln furLherlng hls cllenL's cause and
glven lL hls full aLLenLlon.

" 8espondenL dld noL keep hls cllenL
lnformed of Lhe sLaLus of her case and
refused Lo respond Lo her requesL for
lnformaLlon
o 513, =><?% of Lhe '74, 7I
L;7I,++679*3 5,+M79+6N636/O sLaLes
LhaL [a] lawyer shall keep Lhe
cllenL lnformed of Lhe sLaLus of hls
case and shall respond wlLhln a
reasonable Llme Lo Lhe cllenL's
requesL for lnformaLlon."
o 8espondenL avolded complalnanL
for Lhree years and kepL her ln Lhe
dark. Pe dld noL glve her any
lnformaLlon abouL Lhe sLaLus of her
case or respond Lo her requesL for
lnformaLlon.

" 8espondenL dld noL flle an answer or
aLLend Lhe mandaLory hearlng before
Lhe l8.
o 8espondenL's repeaLed fallure Lo
flle an answer Lo Lhe complalnL and
Lo appear aL Lhe 2 !une 2004
mandaLory conference aggravaLe
hls mlsconducL. 1hese demonsLraLe
hls hlgh degree of lrresponslblllLy
and lack of respecL for Lhe l8 and
lLs proceedlngs. Pls aLLlLude sLalns
Lhe noblllLy of Lhe legal professlon.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
!""# %& '()")

Case lacLs lssues Peld 8aLlo/8ullng
8e: eLlLlon Cf Al
Argoslno 1o 1ake 1he
Lawyer's CaLh
8.M. no. 712
March 19, 1997
onenLe: adllla, !.

eLlLloner Al Caparros Argoslno
passed Lhe bar examlnaLlon ln 1993.
1he CourL however deferred hls oaLh
Laklng due Lo hls prevlous convlcLlon
for 8eckless lmprudence 8esulLlng ln
Pomlclde resulLlng from Lhe deaLh of
8aul Camallgan, a neophyLe, durlng
fraLernlLy lnlLlaLlon rlLes held ln
SepLember 1991.

lebruary 11, 1993 ! AfLer pleadlng
gullLy Lo Lhe charge, Lhe accused -
lncludlng 7 oLhers - were senLenced
of lmprlsonmenL.

!une 18, 1993 ! 1he Lrlal courL
granLed hereln peLlLloner's
appllcaLlon for probaLlon.

Aprll 11, 1994 ! 1he courL lssued an
approval of Lhe robaLlon Cfflcer's
recommendaLlon for peLlLloner's
dlscharge from probaLlon.

Aprll 14, 1994 ! eLlLloner flled
before Lhls CourL a peLlLlon Lo be
allowed Lo Lake Lhe lawyer's oaLh
based on Lhe order of hls dlscharge
from probaLlon.
(l) WheLher or noL Lhe
peLlLloner ls noL morally
flL for admlsslon Lo Lhe
bar.
(l) ?es. (l) AlLhough Lhe beaLlng of 8aul
Camallgan consLlLuLed evldenL absence
of moral flLness requlred for bar
membershlp, Lhe CourL ls prepared Lo
conslder !" $%&% (anew) wheLher Lhe
peLlLloner has purged hlmself of such
obvlous deflclency.

ln allowlng peLlLloner Lo Lake Lhe
lawyer's oaLh, Lhe CourL recognlzes LhaL
Mr. Argoslno ls noL lnherenLly of bad
moral flber, and ls prepared Lo glve hlm
Lhe beneflL of Lhe doubL Laklng lnLo
[udlclal noLlce of Lhe general Lendency
of youLh Lo be rash, Lemerarlous and
uncalculaLlng.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!

!uly 13, 1993 ! 1he CourL Lhrough
Senlor AssoclaLe !usLlce llorenLlno .
lellclano lssued a resoluLlon
requlrlng peLlLloner Lo submlL
evldence provlng LhaL he has now
complled wlLh Lhe requlremenL of
good moral characLer lmposed upon
Lhose seeklng admlsslon Lo Lhe bar.

eLlLloner submlLLed cerLlflcaLlons:
2 senaLors
3 Lrlal courL [udges
6 members of rellglous orders
eLlLlon lor Leave 1o
8esume racLlce Cf
Law
8.M. no. 1678
uecember 17, 2007
onenLe: Corona, !.

eLlLloner, 8en[amln M. uacanay,
was admlLLed Lo Lhe hlllpplne bar ln
March 1960.

uecember 1998 ! eLlLloner
mlgraLed Lo Canada seeklng medlcal
aLLenLlon for hls allmenLs.

May 2004 ! eLlLloner became a
Canadlan clLlzen Lo avall of Canada's
free medlcal ald program.

!une 14, 2006 ! eLlLloner
reacqulred hls llllplno clLlzenshlp ln
accordance wlLh *+(+ ,--%
(ClLlzenshlp 8eLenLlon and 8e-
AcqulslLlon AcL of 2003) before Lhe
ConsulaLe Ceneral ln 1oronLo.
(l) WheLher or noL
8en[amln M. uacanay
can reacqulre hls
membershlp ln Lhe
hlllpplne bar afLer
reacqulrlng hls llllplno
clLlzenshlp.
(l) ?es, because
by vlrLue of hls
clLlzenshlp
reacqulslLlon,
peLlLloner has
agaln meL all Lhe
quallflcaLlons
and has none of
Lhe
dlsquallflcaLlons
for membershlp
ln Lhe bar.
(l) 8ules of CourL mandaLe LhaL an
appllcanL for admlsslon Lo Lhe bar be a
clLlzen of Lhe hlllpplnes, aL leasL 21-
years-old, of good moral characLer, and
a resldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes. 1here
musL be no charges flled or pendlng
agalnsL hlm lnvolvlng moral LurplLude.
()./0123 -4 *56. 789). Pe musL also pass
Lhe bar exams, Lake Lhe lawyer's oaLh,
slgn Lhe roll of aLLorneys and recelve
from Lhe clerk of CourL Lhe llcense Lo
pracLlce.

8y reacqulrlng hls clLlzenshlp, he ls
deemed Lo never have LermlnaLed hls
membershlp ln Lhe hlllpplne bar.
Powever, no auLomaLlc rlghL Lo resume
pracLlce of law accrues.

eLlLloner musL flrsL secure from Lhls
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
CourL Lhe auLhorlLy Lo do so,
condlLloned on:
(a) updaLlng and paymenL ln full of Lhe
annual membershlp dues ln Lhe l8
(b) 1he paymenL of professlonal Lax
(c) 1he compleLlon of aL leasL 36 credlL
hours of MCLL
(d) 1he reLaklng of Lhe lawyer's oaLh
whlch wlll noL only remlnd hlm of hls
duLles and responslblllLles as a lawyer &
as an offlcer of Lhe CourL, buL also
renew hls pledge Lo malnLaln alleglance
Lo Lhe 8.
8e: 1999 8ar
LxamlnaLlons
8.M. nos. 979 & 986
uecember 10, 2002
onenLe: 8elloslllo, !.

eLlLloner, Mark AnLhony A. urlsma,
passed Lhe 1999 8ar LxamlnaLlons

Aprll 13, 2000 ! urlsma was
dlsquallfled and hls exam was
declared null and vold on 2 grounds:
(a) lallure Lo submlL Lhe requlred
cerLlflcaLe of compleLlon of Lhe pre-
bar revlew course
(b) Pe commlLLed a serlous acL of
dlshonesLy when he made lL appear
ln hls eLlLlon Lo 1ake Lhe 1999 8ar
LxamlnaLlon" LhaL he Look hls pre-bar
revlew course aL Lhe hlllpplne Law
School (LS), when Lhe school had
noL offered such course ln 1967.

!uly 2, 2002 ! eLlLloner flled a
MoLlon for uue rocess sLaLlng why
(l) WheLher Lhe
peLlLloner dld enroll ln
and compleLe hls pre-
bar revlew course ln
uS1 as he hereln avows.
(l) ?es. (l) 1he LesLlmony of peLlLloner and Ms.
lellpe (who was responslble for flllng
Lhe noLarlzed appllcaLlon form Lo Lhe
Cfflce of Lhe 8ar ConfldanL (C8C)) are
credlble, and ls supporLed by
documenLary evldence showlng LhaL
peLlLloner acLually enrolled and
compleLed Lhe requlred course ln uS1.
1here ls noLhlng on record whlch
lmpugns Lhe auLhenLlclLy of Lhe sub[ecL
of cerLlflcaLlon as well as LhaL of Lhe
oLher documenLary evldence proferred
by peLlLloner Lo esLabllsh LhaL he was
duly enrolled and Look Lhe pre-bar
revlew course ln uS1 noL ln LS.

1hus, peLlLloner should be glven beneflL
of Lhe doubL and be allowed Lo Lake hls
oaLh.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
hls eLlLlon.LxamlnaLlon" sLaLed
LhaL he was enrolled ln Lhe pre-bar
revlew of LS when ln facL he was
Laklng lL ln uS1 as evldenced by uean
Amado L. uamayuga.

no, because LhaL LS was sLaLed and
noL uS1 a clerlcal error, whlle fallure
Lo submlL requlred cerLlflcaLlon of
compleLlon of Lhe pre-bar revlew
course was an honesL mlsLake as Lhe
peLlLloner LhoughL lL was
unnecessary ln vlew of CerLlflcaLlon
of CompleLlon lssued by uean
ulmayuga.

eLlLloners faLher also submlLLed a
leLLer pleadlng LhaL Lhe 3 years denlal
of hls son's requesL for oaLh-Laklng
should be enough penalLy, lf Lhere be
any wrong LhaL hls son may be
unwlLLlngly commlLLed.
Agulrre v. 8ana
8.M. no. 1036
!une 10, 2003
onenLe: Carplo, !.

May 21, 2001 ! uonna Marle
Agulrre flled agalnsL Ldwln L. 8ana a
'"()()%$ *%+ ,"$)-. %* /!0)11)%$ (%
(2" 3-+, charglng Lhe respondenL
wlLh unauLhorlzed pracLlce of law,
grave mlsconducL, vlolaLlon of law,
and grave mlsrepresenLaLlon.

May 22, 2001 ! 8espondenL was
allowed Lo Lake hls lawyer's oaLh, buL
(l) WheLher or noL
respondenL commlLLed
unauLhorlzed pracLlce
of law, grave
mlsconducL, vlolaLlon of
law and grave
mlsrepresenLaLlon ln
appearlng as counsel
for 8unan and Pao.
(l) ?es. 1he Cfflce
of Lhe 8ar
ConfldanL (C8C)
found LhaL
respondenL dld
appear before
Lhe M8LC as
counsel for
8unan ln Lhe May
2001 elecLlons,
prlor Lo Laklng hls
lawyer's oaLh
(l) CayeLano v. Monsod ! Lhe courL
deflned Lhe pracLlce of law as any
acLlvlLy, ln or ouL of courL, whlch
requlres Lhe appllcaLlon of law, legal
procedure, knowledge, Lralnlng and
experlence.

8elLran, !r. v. Abad ! a candldaLe who
has passed Lhe bar buL has noL Laken
hls oaLh and slgned Lhe 8oll of
ALLorneys ls llable for lndlrecL conLempL
of courL ()./0123 8.4 *56. :7 2; 0<.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
was noL allowed Lo slgn Lhe 8oll of
ALLorneys pendlng Lhe resoluLlon of
hls charge.

ComplalnanL alleges LhaL respondenL,
whlle noL yeL a lawyer, appeared as
counsel for vlce MayoralLy CandldaLe
Ceorge 8unan before Lhe Munlclpal
8oard of LlecLlon Canvassers (M8LC).

8espondenL also allegedly flled a
peLlLlon for proclamaLlon as Lhe
wlnnlng candldaLe for mayor on
behalf of Lmlly LsLlpona-Pao.
and slgnlng on
Lhe 8oll of
ALLorneys.
*56.= 2; '25>0).

8espondenL was engaged ln Lhe
pracLlce of law when he appeared ln
Lhe proceedlngs before Lhe M8LC and
flled varlous pleadlngs, wlLhouL llcense
Lo do so.
8e: AppllcaLlon lor
Admlsslon 1o 1he
hlllpplne 8ar
8.M. no. 914
CcLober 1, 1999
onenLe: kapunan, !.

vlcenLe u. Chlng was born ln 1964
under Lhe 7,8% '23=01050123. (>01/6.
?@4 )./0123 7A8B dlcLaLed LhaL he
follow hls faLher's Chlnese
clLlzenshlp, unless upon reachlng Lhe
age of ma[orlLy, he elecLs hlllpplne
clLlzenshlp. '2CC23D.E60< (/0 F2+
G-% prescrlbed Lhe procedure LhaL
should be followed ln order Lo make
a valld elecLlon of hlllpplne
clLlzenshlp.

nelLher Lhe 7,8% '23=01050123 or '+(+
F2+ G-% prescrlbes Lhe Llme perlod
wlLhln whlch Lhe elecLlon of
hlllpplne clLlzenshlp should be
made.

(l) WheLher or noL Chlng
has elecLed llllplno
clLlzenshlp wlLhln Lhe
approprlaLe perlod afLer
reachlng Lhe age of
ma[orlLy, LhaL Lhen
quallfles hlm for
membershlp ln Lhe bar.
(l) no. (l) Lven lf Lhe speclal clrcumsLances of
Chlng ls consldered (hls havlng llved ln
Lhe hlllpplnes all hls llfe & hls
conslsLenL bellef LhaL he ls a llllplnlo), lL
cannoL be held LhaL Chlng valldly
elecLed hlllpplne clLlzenshlp.

1he span of 14 years LhaL lapsed from
Lhe Llme he reached Lhe age of ma[orlLy
(21) unLll he flnally expressed hls
lnLenLlon Lo elecL hlllpplne clLlzenshlp
ls clearly way beyond Lhe
conLemplaLlon of Lhe requlremenL of
elecLlng upon reachlng Lhe age of
ma[orlLy". Chlng's unreasonable and
unexplalned delay ln maklng hls
elecLlon cannoL be slmply glossed over.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
1he SecreLary of !usLlce has ruled
LhaL 3 years afLer reachlng Lhe age of
ma[orlLy ls a reasonable Llme Lo elecL
hlllpplne clLlzenshlp.

May 3, 1999 ! Chlng was supposed
Lo [oln Lhe oaLh-Laklng of successful
8ar examlnees, buL was noL allowed
due Lo Lhe quesLlon of hls clLlzenshlp.

!uly 8, 1990 ! 1he Cfflce of Lhe
SollclLor Ceneral (CSC) flled a
commenL ln Lhe case of Chlng
concludlng LhaL Chlng had noL
formally elecLed hlllpplne
clLlzenshlp as he has noL fulfllled Lhe
2 condlLlons:
(a) 1he moLher of Lhe person maklng
Lhe elecLlon musL be a llllplno clLlzen
(b) Sald elecLlon musL be made 'upon
reachlng Lhe age of ma[orlLy' (l.e. a
reasonable Llme afLer reachlng 21).

Powever, Lhe CSC recommends Lhe
relaxaLlon of Lhe sLandlng rule due Lo
Lhe pecullar clrcumsLances
surroundlng Chlng's case, as Lhe
appllcanL had remalned ln Lhe
hlllpplnes all hls llfe and had even
served as member of Lhe
Sanggunlang 8ayan 1992 - 1993.
Carrldo v. Carrldo
A.C. no. 6393
onenLe: er curlam

eLlLloner MaeloLlsea Carrldo, wlfe
(l) WheLher or noL
respondenLs ALLy.
Carrldo and ALLy.
(l) ?es. 1he SC
adopLed Lhe l8
rullng agalnsL
(l) lmmoral conducL lnvolves acLs LhaL
are wlllful, flagranL, or shameless, and
LhaL show a moral lndlfference Lo Lhe
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
of respondenL ALLy. Angel Carrldo,
flled a complalnL-affldavlL for Lhe
dlsbarmenL of respondenLs ALLy.
Carrldo and ALLy. 8omana valencla
before Lhe lnLegraLed 8ar of Lhe
hlllpplnes (l8), charglng Lhem wlLh
gross lmmorallLy.

eLlLloner clalmed LhaL whlle she was
marrled Lo respondenL, he had
marrled ALLy. valencla ln Pong kong,
and even had a chlld wlLh her.
8espondenL lefL Lhelr con[ugal home
Lo llve wlLh ALLy. valencla and has
slnce falled Lo provlde flnanclal
supporL Lo peLlLloner's chlldren, who
had Lo sLop schoollng.

8espondenLs denled Lhe charges,
declarlng LhaL ALLy. Carrldo's
marrlage wlLh peLlLloner was vold
because he had been marrled Lo
anoLher ConsLancla uavld aL Lhe
Llme, and LhaL he marrled ALLy.
valencla afLer Lhe deaLh of hls flrsL
wlfe. 8espondenLs furLher
emphaslzed LhaL Lhe marrlages were
conLracLed before ALLy. Carrldo
became a member of Lhe bar.

1he l8 dlsbarred ALLy. Carrldo buL
dlsmlssed Lhe case agalnsL ALLy.
valencla.
valencla commlLLed
gross lmmorallLy
warranLlng dlsbarmenL.
ALLy. Carrldo,
and re[ecLed lLs
recommendaLlon
wlLh respecL Lo
ALLy. valencla -
and dlsbarred
boLh lawyers,
and sLrlklng ouL
Lhe names of
boLh
respondenLs
from Lhe 8oll of
ALLorneys.

oplnlon of Lhe uprlghL and respecLable
members of Lhe communlLy.

ALLy. Carrldo, Lhrough
mlsrepresenLaLlon, lllegal llalson,
engaglng ln exLra-marlLal affalrs, and
mlsuse of legal knowledge, commlLLed
mulLlple vlolaLlons relaLlng Lo Lhe legal
professlon, speclflcally, vlolaLlons of Lhe
bar admlsslon rules, of hls lawyer's
oaLh, and of Lhe eLhlcal rules of Lhe
professlon.

ALLy. valencla's acLlons were also
grossly lmmoral. Per acLlons were so
corrupL as Lo approxlmaLe a crlmlnal
acL, for she marrled a man who, ln all
appearances, was marrled Lo anoLher
and wlLh whom he had a famlly. As Lhe
confldanLe of ALLy. Carrldo, she
engaged ln a romanLlc relaLlonshlp wlLh
hlm durlng Lhe subslsLence of hls Lwo
prevlous marrlages. She helped Lhe
second famlly bulld a house prlor Lo her
marrlage Lo ALLy. Carrldo and dld noL
ob[ecL Lo sharlng her husband wlLh Lhe
woman of hls second marrlage.
1long v. llorendo onenLe: erlas- 8ernabe (l) WheLher Lhe pardon (l) no. Powever, lL bears Lo sLress LhaL a case of
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
A.C. no. 4428
uecember 12, 2011

ComplalnanL Llpldlo 1long dlscovered
an llllclL affalr (whlch lasLed from
1993-1993) beLween hls wlfe Ma.
Llena and legal counsel and acLlng
buslness admlnlsLraLor (durlng
respondenL's leaves for Lhe u.S.),
respondenL ALLy. Ceorge llorendo.

AfLer belng dlscovered, respondenL
and Ma. Llena execuLed and slgned
an affldavlL aLLesLlng Lo Lhelr llllclL
relaLlonshlp and seeklng Lhelr
respecLlve spouses' forglveness. 1he
offended spouses also slgned Lhe
affldavlL agreelng noL Lo lnsLlLuLe
crlmlnal or legal acLlon provlded LhaL
Lhe affalr would no longer conLlnue.

noLwlLhsLandlng, complalnanL
lnsLlLuLed Lhe presenL sulL for
dlsbarmenL charglng respondenL wlLh
gross lmmorallLy and grave
mlsconducL. 8espondenL admlLLed
Lhe maLerlal allegaLlons of Lhe
complalnL buL lnLerposed Lhe
defense of pardon.

exLended by
complalnanL ln affldavlL
ls sufflclenL Lo warranL
Lhe dlsmlssal of Lhe
presenL dlsbarmenL
case agalnsL respondenL
for gross lmmoral
conducL.
Lhe CourL lssued
a penalLy Lo Lhe
respondenL of
suspenslon from
Lhe pracLlce of
law for slx (6)
monLhs lnsLead
of Lhe
recommended
one (1) year by
Lhe l8. A sLern
warnlng was also
lssued.
suspenslon or dlsbarmenL ls sul generls
and noL meanL Lo granL rellef Lo a
complalnanL as ln a clvll case, buL ls
lnLended Lo cleanse Lhe ranks of Lhe
legal professlon of lLs undeslrable
members ln order Lo proLecL Lhe publlc
and Lhe courLs. lL ls noL an lnvesLlgaLlon
lnLo Lhe acLs of respondenL as a
husband buL on hls conducL as an
offlcer of Lhe CourL and hls flLness Lo
conLlnue as a member of Lhe 8ar.

8espondenL's acL of havlng an affalr
wlLh hls cllenL's wlfe manlfesLed hls
dlsrespecL for Lhe laws on Lhe sancLlLy
of marrlage and hls own marlLal vow of
fldellLy. lL showed hls uLmosL
moral depravlLy and low regard for Lhe
eLhlcs of hls professlon.
8e: LeLLer of LsLellLo
Mendoza roposlng
8eforms ln Lhe 8ar
LxamlnaLlon
8.M. no. 1133
1he SC en banc has approved Lhe
proposed amendmenLs Lo SecLlons
3 and 6 of 8ule 138 of Lhe 8ules of
CourL, allowlng llllplno graduaLes of
forelgn law schools Lo Lake Lhe
hlllpplne 8ar, sub[ecL Lo cerLaln

!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
condlLlons.

SecLlon 3 of Lhe 8ule provldes LhaL all
appllcanLs for Lo Lhe 8ar shall show
successful compleLlon of all
prescrlbed courses for Lhe degree of
8achelor of Laws or lLs equlvalenL
recognlzed by Lhe hlllpplne
CovernmenL or by Lhe auLhorlLy ln
Lhe respecLlve forelgn [urlsdlcLlon.

lor llllplno clLlzens who have
graduaLed from a forelgn law school,
Lhe followlng requlremenLs are
needed: (a) compleLlon of all courses
for Lhe degree of 8achelor of Laws or
lLs equlvalenL (b) recognlLlon or
accredlLaLlon of Lhe law
School, and (c) compleLlon of all
fourLh year sub[ecLs ln Lhe
8achelor of Laws academlc program.

8eforms ln Lhe 2011
8ar LxamlnaLlons
8.M. no. 2263
1he CourL has found merlL ln
proposed reforms and has approved
changes for Lhe 2011 8ar
LxamlnaLlons.

1he 8ar shall now cover speclal Loplcs
and sub-Loplcs Lo be covered by Lhe
exam, raLher Lhan by [usL sLaLlng Lhe
covered laws.

MosL lmporLanLly, Lhe exams shall
lnLroduce Lhe use of mulLlple-cholce

!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!
quesLlons, whereln Lhe resulLs of Lhe
MCCs and essay-Lype examlnaLlons
are glven welghLs of 60 and 40
respecLlvely ln Lhe flnal grade.

1he MCCs for each bar sub[ecL are
accorded dlfferenL welghLs (none
exceed 20), and shall be correcLed
elecLronlcally.

1he essay porLlon of Lhe 8ar shall be
dlvlded - 60 based on preparlng a
Lrlal memorandum or declslon based
on a documenLed legal dlspuLe, and
40 on formulaLlng legal oplnlon for
a cllenL's legal dlspuLe.

1he examlners ln all elghL bar
sub[ecLs wlll prepare Lhe MCCs for
Lhelr respecLlve sub[ecLs and be
dlvlded lnLo Lwo panels of four
members each. Cne panel wlll grade
Lhe memorandum or declslon
essay whlle Lhe oLher wlll grade Lhe
legal oplnlon essay.

luLure 8ars wlll conLemplaLe holdlng
examlnaLlons slmulLaneously ln
Luzon, vlsayas and Mlndanao, and
Lhe allowlng of Lhose who pass Lhe
MCC examlnaLlons buL fall Lhe essay-
Lype examlnaLlons Lo Lake removal
examlnaLlons ln Lhe lmmedlaLely
followlng year.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)
!!! (!) " !!!


8eforms ln Lhe 2012
8ar LxamlnaLlons
8.M. no. 2302
1he CourL approved LhaL Lhe 2012
8ar LxamlnaLlons wlll be held aL Lhe
unlverslLy of SLo. 1omas, Lspana
8lvd., Manlla on Lhe four Sundays of
CcLober 2012.

1he CourL furLher approved !usLlce
vlllarama's recommendaLlon LhaL Lhe
exam for each sub[ecL wlll be
composed of 60 MCCs and 40
essay quesLlons.

A candldaLe's general average wlll be
compuLed from relaLlve welghLs
accorded Lo Lhe dlfferenL Lhe bar
sub[ecLs.
ollLlcal and lnLernaLlonal Law - 13
Labor and Soclal LeglslaLlon - 10
Clvll Law - 13
1axaLlon - 10
MercanLlle Law - 13
Crlmlnal Law - 10
8emedlal Law - 20
Legal LLhlcs and racLlcal Lxerclses - 3

1he racLlcal Lxerclses porLlon of Lhe
lasL exam be ln Lhe form of a 1rlal
Memorandum WrlLlng 1esL.

!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
!""# %& '()")

Case lacLs lssues Peld 8aLlo/8ullng
ablo 8. Cllvares
and/or Cllvares 8ealLy
CorporaLlon v. ALLy.
Arsenlo C. vlllalon, !r.
A.C. no. 6323
Aprll 13, 2007
onenLe: Corona, !.

1hls ls a complalnL for dlsbarmenL
and suspenslon agalnsL respondenL
for vlolaLlon of *+,- ./01/, '2343 ./
of Lhe '45- 46 7846-99:432,
*-9;439:<:,:=> and Lhe rule on forum
sub[ecL.

Cllvares alleged LhaL respondenL's
cllenL, Sarah ulvlna Morales, Al-
8asheed, repeaLedly sued Cllvares
for vlolaLlons of Lhe lease conLracL
whlch Lhey had execuLed over a
commerclal aparLmenL.

!uly 1, 1999 ! Al-8asheed flled an
acLlon for breach of conLracL wlLh
damages. 1hls was dlsmlssed for
fallure Lo prosecuLe.

!an. 29, 2004 ! Al-8asheed re-flled
Lhe 1999 sulL, and was agaln
dlsmlssed on Lhe grounds of !"#
%&'()*+* and prescrlpLlon.

ALLy. vlllalon asserLs LhaL he was only
performlng hls legal obllgaLlon Lo
proLecL and prosecuLe Lhe lnLeresLs
of hls cllenL. Pe denled LhaL he was
forum shopplng.
(l) WheLher or noL Lhe
respondenL ls gullLy of
vlolaLlng of *+,- ./01/,
'2343 ./ of Lhe '45-
46 7846-99:432,
*-9;439:<:,:=> and Lhe
rule on forum sub[ecL.
(l) ?es. (l) *+,- ./01/, '2343 ./ provldes LhaL
( ,2?>-8 9@2,, 34= 6:,- A+,=:;,- 2B=:439
28:9:3C 684A =@- 92A- B2+9-0 1hus, a
lawyer's fldellLy Lo hls cllenL musL noL
be pursued aL Lhe expense of LruLh and
[usLlce.

Lawyers have Lhe duLy Lo asslsL ln Lhe
speedy and efflclenL admlnlsLraLlon of
[usLlce. llllng mulLlple acLlons
consLlLuLes an abuse of Lhe CourL's
processes. lL consLlLuLes lmproper
conducL LhaL Lends Lo lmpede, obsLrucL
and degrade [usLlce
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
8odolfo 8ernardo v.
ALLy. lsmael l. Me[la
onenLe: nachura, !.
eLlLlon for revlew for AdmlnlsLraLlve
Case no. 2984 wlLh plea for
relnsLaLemenL ln Lhe pracLlce of law
flled by respondenL who ls already
sevenLy-one years old and barred
from Lhe pracLlce of law for flfLeen
years.

!uly 29, 1992 ! 8espondenL was
found gullLy of (1) mlsapproprlaLlng
and converLlng Lo hls personal use
Lhe funds of hls cllenL, (2) falslflcaLlon
of documenLs, (3) lssulng a check
knowlng LhaL he was wlLhouL funds.
Supreme CourL rendered a ueclslon
,"! -&!(*..
(l) WheLher or noL Lhe
appllcanL shall be
relnsLaLed ln Lhe 8oll of
ALLorneys.
(l) ?es.
8espondenL has
proven LhaL he
has been
rehablllLaLed and
Lherefore may be
allowed Lo be
relnsLaLed.
(l) AlLhough Lhe CourL does noL llghLly
Lake Lhe bases for Me[la's dlsbarmenL,
lL also cannoL close lLs eyes Lo Lhe facL
LhaL Me[la ls already of advanced years.
Whlle Lhe age of Lhe peLlLloner and Lhe
lengLh of Llme durlng whlch he has
endured Lhe lgnomlny of dlsbarmenL
are noL Lhe sole measure ln allowlng a
peLlLlon for relnsLaLemenL, Lhe CourL
Lakes cognlzance of Lhe rehablllLaLlon
of Me[la. Slnce hls dlsbarmenL ln 1992,
no oLher Lransgresslon has been
aLLrlbuLed Lo hlm, and he has shown
remorse.
ALLy. 8amon . 8eyes
v. ALLy. vlcLorlano 1.
Chlong
A.C. no. 3148
!uly 1, 2003
onenLe: anganlban

ALLy. 8eyes alleges LhaL someLlme ln
!anuary 1998, hls servlces were
engaged by one Zonggl xu, a Chlnese-
1alwanese wlLh regard Lo a buslness
venLure LhaL wenL awry wlLh Chla
Pxlen an. xu flled an esLafa case
agalnsL an.

LaLer, ALLy. Chlong flled an urgenL
MoLlon Lo Cuash Lhe WarranL of
ArresL of hls cllenL, an. Pe also flled
a clvll complalnL agalnsL complalnanL
(xu), ALLy. 8eyes, and rosecuLor
Salonga (who was responslble for
lssulng Lhe subpoena for an).
(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
Chlong's clvll case
lmpleadlng ALLy. 8eyes
as co-defendanL ls a
vlolaLlon of hls oaLh of
offlce and '2343 D of
Lhe '45- 46
7846-99:432,
*-9;439:<:,:=>0
(l) ?es. 1here was
no basls ln
lmpleadlng 8eyes
and Salonga ln
Lhe case.
(l) Lawyers are llcensed offlcers of Lhe
courLs who are empowered Lo appear,
prosecuLe and defend, and upon whom
pecullar duLles, responslblllLles and
llablllLles are devolved by law as a
consequence. Membershlp ln Lhe bar
lmposes upon Lhem cerLaln obllgaLlons.
MandaLed Lo malnLaln Lhe dlgnlLy of
Lhe legal professlon, Lhey musL conducL
Lhemselves honorably and falrly.

8espondenL's fallure Lo lnform hls cllenL
and Lo resorL Lo Lhe proper remedles
sLrengLhen complalnanL's allegaLlon
LhaL Lhe clvll acLlon was lnLended Lo
galn leverage agalnsL Lhe esLafa case.

!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
lL appears LhaL respondenL Look Lhe
esLafa case as a personal affronL and
used Lhe clvll case as a Lool Lo reLurn
Lhe lnconvenlence suffered by hls
cllenL. Pls acLlons demonsLraLe a
mlsuse of Lhe legal process. 1he alm of
every lawsulL should be Lo render
[usLlce Lo Lhe parLles accordlng Lo law,
noL Lo harass Lhem.
Lydla CasLro-!usLo v.
ALLy. 8odolfo 1. Callng
A.C. no. 6174
november 16, 2011
onenLe: erez, !.

Lydla CasLro-!usLo flled for Lhe
dlsbarmenL of ALLy. 8odolfo Callng.

Aprll 2003 ! !usLo engaged Lhe
servlces of Callng ln connecLlon wlLh
Lhe dlshonored checks lssued by
Manlla ClLy Councllor Arlene W. koa.

!uly 10, 2003 ! !usLo flled a crlmlnal
complalnL agalnsL koa for esLafa.

!uly 27, 2003 ! !usLo recelved a copy
of a MoLlon for ConsolldaLlon flled by
ALLy. Callng for and on behalf of Ms.
koa, Lhe accused ln Lhe crlmlnal
cases, and Lhe laLLer's daughLer
karen 1orralba (Ms. 1orralba).
lurLher, on 8 AugusL 2003,
respondenL appeared as counsel for
Ms. koa before Lhe prosecuLor of
Manlla.
(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
Callng represenLed boLh
parLles resulLlng lnLo a
represenLaLlon of
confllcLlng lnLeresLs,
and Lhus vlolaLed Lhe
'45- 46 7846-99:432,
*-9;439:<:,:=>0
(l) ?es. A lawyer-
cllenL
relaLlonshlp
exlsLed beLween
ALLy. Callng and
boLh !usLo and
koa. 1hus, Callng
ls suspended for
(1) year.
(l) A lawyer-cllenL relaLlonshlp can exlsL
noLwlLhsLandlng Lhe close frlendshlp
beLween complalnanL and respondenL.
1he relaLlonshlp was esLabllshed Lhe
momenL complalnanL soughL legal
advlce from respondenL regardlng Lhe
dlshonored checks. 8y drafLlng Lhe
demand leLLer respondenL furLher
afflrmed such relaLlonshlp.

under *+,- .E01FG '2343 .E 46 =@-
'45- 46 7846-99:432, *-9;439:<:,:=>,
[a] lawyer shall noL represenL
confllcLlng lnLeresLs excepL by wrlLLen
consenL of all concerned glven afLer a
full dlsclosure of Lhe facLs." 8espondenL
was Lherefore bound Lo refraln from
represenLlng parLles wlLh confllcLlng
lnLeresLs ln a conLroversy. 8y dolng so,
wlLhouL showlng any proof LhaL he had
obLalned Lhe wrlLLen consenL of Lhe
confllcLlng parLles, respondenL should
be sancLloned.

1he prohlblLlon agalnsL represenLlng
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
confllcLlng lnLeresL ls founded on
prlnclples of publlc pollcy and good
LasLe. ln Lhe course of Lhe lawyer-cllenL
relaLlonshlp, Lhe lawyer learns of Lhe
facLs connecLed wlLh Lhe cllenL's case,
lncludlng Lhe weak and sLrong polnLs of
Lhe case. 1he naLure of Lhe relaLlonshlp
ls, Lherefore, one of LrusL and
confldence of Lhe hlghesL degree.
SLemmerlk v. Mas
A.C. 8010
!une 16, 2009
onenLe: er curlam

ComplalnanL keld SLemmerlk, a
clLlzen and resldenL of uenmark,
employed respondenL ALLy. Leonuel
Mas as hls represenLaLlve, and upon
Lhe laLLer's assurance LhaL properLy
ln Lhe hlllpplnes ls allenable,
conveyed Lhrough Mas Lhe full
purchase prlce of 3.8 mllllon Lo buy
a plece of real esLaLe properLy ln
Zambales. Mas also demanded a fee
of 400,000 for hls servlces.

AfLer SLemmerlk Lrled Lo geL ln Louch
wlLh Mas regardlng Lhe Lransfer of
Lhe properLy Lo hls name, Mas
became scarce. AfLer employlng
anoLher law flrm, SLemmerlk learned
LhaL allens cannoL own land under
hlllpplne land and LhaL Lhe properLy
was lnallenable. Mas also abandoned
hls law offlce and fled.

lor gravely mlsrepresenLlng LhaL
(l) WheLher or noL Mas
commlLLed grave
mlsconducL for hls
deeds.
(l) ?es. (l) 8espondenL was dlsbarred, and
furLher ordered Lo reLurn Lo SLemmerlk
Lhe LoLal amounL of 4.2 mllllon
(lncludlng hls charged lawyer fee) wlLh
lnLeresL aL 12 annum. 1he n8l was
also ordered Lo locaLe Mas Lo flle Lhe
approprlaLe crlmlnal charges agalnsL
hlm.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
forelgners can acqulre land and for
abscondlng wlLh complalnanL's
money, Mas was charged wlLh
serlous mlsconducL before Lhe l8.

8osalle uallong-
Callclnao v. ALLy. vlrgll
8. CasLro
A.C. no. 6396
CcLober 23, 2003
onenLe: 1lnga

8espondenL ALLy. vlrgll CasLro wenL
Lo complalnanL 8osalle Callclnao's
offlce as Clerk of CourL Lo lnqulre
wheLher Lhe compleLe records of a
clvll case had already been remanded
Lo Lhe courL of orlgln ln nueva
vlzcaya from Lhe CA. Pe was noL Lhe
counsel of record for elLher parLy Lo
LhaL case.

Callclnao lnformed hlm LhaL lL had
noL yeL been LransmlLLed, and afLer
lnformlng ALLy. CasLro LhaL lL was noL
her offlce's duLy Lo lnform hlm of Lhe
requlremenLs he needed Lo geL a
copy of Lhe case, ALLy. CasLro blew up
and hurled lnvecLlves aL her.

Callclnao flled a complalnL for
unprofesslonal conducL before Lhe
l8 for causlng her acuLe
embarrassmenL as head of Lhe offlce
and before her sLaff. 1hls also was
noL an lsolaLed lncldenL, slnce oLher
slmllar cases had been flled (alLhough
no evldence shows Lhe LruLh of Lhe
clalms).
(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
CasLro had
unprofesslonal conducL
for hls acL.
(l) ?es. (l) 1he penalLy lmposed was Lempered
owlng Lo Lhe facL LhaL ALLy. CasLro
personally and humbly apologlzed Lo
Callclnao, whlch she acknowledged and
accepLed. ALLy. Callclnao was flned Lhe
amounL of 10,000 wlLh a warnlng LhaL
any slmllar lnfracLlon would be dealL
wlLh more severely.

1he hlghesL reward LhaL can be
besLowed on lawyers ls Lhe !"#!!$ &'
#(!)* +*!#(*!,. 1hls esLeem cannoL be
purchased, perfuncLorlly creaLed, or
galned by arLlflce or conLrlvance."
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
8e: Suspenslon of ALLy.
8ogello Z. 8agabuyo,
lormer Senlor SLaLe
rosecuLor
onenLe: Azcuna

ln a crlmlnal case orlglnally raffled Lo
!udge 8uyser, Lhe same pronounced
LhaL Lhe evldence presenLed by Lhe
prosecuLlon was sufflclenL Lo prove
Lhe crlme of homlclde and noL
murder. 1he defense counsel Lhereby
moLloned Lo flx Lhe ball for hls cllenL.
8espondenL Senlor SLaLe rosecuLor
ALLy. 8ogello 8agabuyo ob[ecLed on
Lhe ground LhaL Lhe charge was for
murder wlLh a punlshmenL of
*!-./")&, 0!*0!#/1, and noL sub[ecL
ball.

AlLhough !udge 8uyser lnhlblLed and
re-raffled Lhe case Lo anoLher !udge
1an on ALLy. 8agabuyo's lnslnuaLlons
LhaL Lhe former hlmself had
suggesLed Lhe flxlng of Lhe ball bond,
and LhaL !udge 1an favorably
resolved Lhe moLlon Lo flx Lhe ball
bond aL 40,000, ALLy. 8agabuyo
caused Lhe publlcaLlon of an arLlcle ln
Lhe Mlndanao Cold SLar ually
aLLacklng !udge 8uyser.

Lven afLer belng clLed for lndlrecL
conLempL by Lhe CourL, ALLy.
8agabuyo conLlnued Lo lambasL
!udge 1an and Lhe Lrlal courL's
dlsposlLlon Loward Lhe case ln a radlo
lnLervlew.
(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
8agabuyo dlsrespecLed
Lhe CourL wlLh hls
acLlons.
(l) ?es. 1he CourL ls noL agalnsL lawyers ralslng
grlevances agalnsL errlng [udges buL Lhe
rules clearly provlde for Lhe proper
venue and procedure for dolng so,
preclsely because respecL for Lhe
lnsLlLuLlon musL always be malnLalned.

ALLy. 8agabuyo was suspended from
Lhe pracLlce of law for one (1) year,
wlLh a sLern warnlng LhaL Lhe repeLlLlon
of a slmllar offense would be dealL wlLh
more severely.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
angaslnan LlecLrlc
CooperaLlve l
(AnLLCC l) v. ALLy.
!uan Ayar MonLemayor
A.C. 3739
SepLember 12, 2007
onenLe: er curlam

ComplalnanL AnLLCC l charged
respondenL ALLy. !uan Ayar
MonLemayor for negllgence ln
handllng Lhe cases asslgned Lo hlm,
whlch caused Lhe unwarranLed
flnanclal losses Lo Lhe former for Lhe
LoLal amounL of 16 mllllon.

upon Lwo lnsLances, ALLy.
MonLemayor as counsel for AnLLCC
falled Lo properly appeal Lhe case of
hls cllenL, wlLh losses lncurred by Lhe
laLLer aL 2.18 mllllon and 13.8
mllllon each. 8ecause of hls
negllgence, AnLLCC fell lnLo dlre
flnanclal sLralLs wlLh dlfflculLles
paylng lLs monLhly power bllls Lo
nACCC8.

upon Lhe cllenL's flllng of
admlnlsLraLlve charges, ALLy.
MonLemayor once agaln falled Lo flle
hls CommenL and Lhe case was
referred Lo Lhe l8.
(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
MonLemayor
commlLLed gross
negllgence ln hls duLles
Lo hls cllenL.
(l) ?es. noL only was ALLy. MonLemayor gravely
negllgenL Lowards hls cllenLs buL also
dlsrespecLful of Lhe CourL ln falllng Lo
flle hls commenL.

ln vlew of Lhe forgolng
clrcumsLances. Lhe palpable sloLh and
lrresponslblllLy he has demonsLraLed ln
handllng Lhe cases of hls cllenL reveal
LhaL he has become more of a llablllLy
Lhan an asseL Lo Lhe legal professlon".

1he l8 lnlLlally suspended ALLy.
MonLemayor lndeflnlLely from Lhe
pracLlce of law, however, he was
evenLually dlsbarred.
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
Lugenla Mendoza v.
ALLy. vlcLor ueclembre
A.C. no. 3338
lebruary 23, 2009
























onenLe: er curlam

ComplalnanL Lugenla Mendoza, a
mall sorLer aL Lhe CenLral osL Cfflce
Manlla, flled a case agalnsL
respondenL ALLy. ueclembre for
vlcLlmlzlng her for essenLlally
essenLlally loan sharklng her,
demandlng Lhe lssuance Lo hlm of
blank checks as a condlLlon for LhaL
load, fllllng up Lhose checks wlLh
amounLs LhaL would bounce Lo Lhe
recelver and Lhen subsequenLly flllng
esLafa cases agalnsL her Lo harass and
demand even more paymenL.

ALLy. ueclembre's modus operandl
was where he flrsL demands
excesslve paymenLs from hls
borrowers, Lhen he fllls up hls
borrowers' blank checks wlLh
flcLlLlous amounL, falslfylng
commerclal documenLs for hls
maLerlal galn, and Lhen he uses sald
checks as bases for hls unfounded
crlmlnal sulLs agalnsL hls borrowers ln
order Lo harass Lhem."



(l) WheLher or noL ALLy.
ueclembre commlLLed
gross mlsconducL
Lhrough hls acLs.
























(l) ?es.



























(l) ALLy. ueclembre was dlsbarred.



























ln 8e: Supreme CourL
8esoluLlon uaLed 28
A8lL 2003 ln C.8.
nCS. 143817 Anu
8espondenL ALLy. Magdaleno M.
ena flled an urgenL MoLlon Lo
lnhlblL and Lo 8esolve 8espondenL's
urgenL Cmnlbus MoLlon daLed 30
(l) WheLher ALLy. ena's
unfounded clalms and
accusaLlons Lo Lhe
!udges and pleas for
(l) ?es.



1he CourL cannoL counLenance Lhe ease
wlLh whlch lawyers, ln Lhe hopes of
sLrengLhenlng Lhelr cause ln a moLlon
for lnhlblLlon, make grave and
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!
143822
A.C. no. 6332
Aprll 17, 2012





!anuary 20031 (Lhe sub[ecL MoLlon Lo
lnhlblL) ln Lwo consolldaLed peLlLlons
lnvolvlng respondenL LhaL were
pendlng before Lhe CourL. 1hls
moLlon was dlrecLed agalnsL Lhe Lhen
ponenLe of Lhe consolldaLed
peLlLlons, !usLlce AnLonlo 1. Carplo.

ALLy. ena accused Lhe ponenLe of
havlng a speclal lnLeresL ln Lhe cases,
C.8. no. 143817 (urban 8ank v.
Magdaleno M. ena! and C.8. no.
143822 (uelfln C. Conzalez, !r.,
8en[amln L. ue Leon, and Lrlc L. Lee
v. Magdaleno M. ena!#

ln supporL of hls clalms Lo lnhlblL Lhe
ponenLe, ALLy. ena aLLached Lo Lhe
sub[ecL MoLlon Lo lnhlblL Lwo coples
of Lhe offlclal Agenda for 13
november 2002 of Lhe llrsL ulvlslon
of Lhls CourL, whlch he clalmed Lo
have anonymously recelved Lhrough
Lhe mall.




Lhem Lo lnhlblL were
uneLhlcal, and Lended
Lo undermlne Lhe
lnLegrlLy and repuLaLlon
of Lhe !udlclary.







unfounded accusaLlons of uneLhlcal
conducL or even wrongdolng agalnsL
oLher members of Lhe legal professlon.
lL ls Lhe duLy of members of Lhe 8ar Lo
absLaln from all offenslve personallLy
and Lo advance no facL pre[udlclal Lo
Lhe honor or repuLaLlon of a parLy or
wlLness, unless requlred by Lhe [usLness
of Lhe cause wlLh whlch Lhey are
charged.

1he grounds for lnhlblLlon of Lhe
!usLlces ln Lhese moLlons of respondenL
ranged from fllmsy and sparse relaLlons
beLween Lhe parLles and Lhe members
of Lhe CourL Lo wlld accusaLlons of
parLlallLy on mere con[ecLures and
surmlses. lor example, respondenL
accused former Chlef !usLlce
anganlban of blas based on hls
afflllaLlon wlLh Lhe 8oLary Club, ln
whlch Lhe laLe 1eodoro 8orlongan, Lhen
resldenL of urban 8ank, was llkewlse
an offlcer.
103
Pe moved for Lhe
lnhlblLlon of !usLlce Sereno on Lhe
ground LhaL she was "a close [udlclal
ally" of !usLlce Carplo, and ln Lurn, Lhe
laLLer, accordlng Lo respondenL, was
anLagonlsLlc Loward hlm durlng Lhe
CourL's 03 March 2003 LxecuLlve
Sesslon ln Lhls admlnlsLraLlve case.

ln addlLlon, Lhe CourL cannoL [usL make
shorL shrlfL of hls lncllnaLlon Lowards
!"#$% '()*"++,)- .//01 2$0 '$)%) 3$-/,$#)

!!! (!) " !!!

casually movlng for Lhe lnhlblLlon of
!usLlces of Lhe CourL based on
unfounded clalms, slnce he has noL
shown remorse or conLrlLlon for hls
ways. ALLy. ena has shown and
dlsplayed ln Lhese proceedlngs LhaL he
has fallen shorL of Lhe eLhlcal sLandards
of Lhe noble professlon and musL be
sancLloned accordlngly.

ALLy. ena was dlsbarred.