Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 12) — A lawyer loses his license to practice law after being found guilty of a number of offenses, including falsifying documents and failing to provide child support to his young son.
The Supreme Court in a statement on Tuesday said it has disbarred Amador Peleo for “gross unlawful, dishonest and deceitful conduct,” in violation of the Code of Professional Responsibility.
“His name was ordered stricken out of the Roll of Attorneys,” the high court said.
The case stemmed from a 2011 complaint filed by Marife Venzon, mother of Peleo’s minor son. The Supreme Court found Peleo guilty of the following: maintaining sexual relations with Venzon while still married to his wife, falsifying entries on his son’s birth certificate while claiming to be married to Venzon, repeatedly evading child support, and misusing the legal process by not pursuing a petition for annulment, among others.
The high court said Peleo also disrespected the Integrated Bar of the Philippines when he disregarded an agreement brokered by the institution between him and Venzon.
Venzon was Peleo’s client in her petition to nullify her marriage with her husband in 1996. In 1998, Venzon gave birth to the lawyer’s son. Their relationship took a dramatic turn when Peleo stopped giving financial assistance to his son, prompting Venzon to seek help from the IBP.
Peleo was also found to be deceiving the government and private businesses by misrepresenting himself as a senior citizen to avail discounts.
“The confluence of respondent’s acts… already spill beyond what happens inside the privacy of one’s intimate space,” the Supreme Court’s statement read.
The high court reminded the country’s lawyers to act in a way that promotes the integrity of the legal profession.
“Indeed, public confidence in law and lawyers may be eroded by the irresponsible and improper conduct of a member of the Bar. Hence, every lawyer is duty bound to act and comport himself or herself in such a manner that would promote public confidence in the integrity of the legal profession,” the Supreme Court said.
“Respondent’s conduct does not help in that regard, but worse, directly encourages people to entertain themselves with jokes about lawyers and the legal profession as the butt of their unflattering jokes,” it added.
Section 27, Rule 133 of the Revised Rules of Court states, “A member of the bar may be disbarred or suspended from his office as attorney by the Supreme Court for any deceit, malpractice, or other gross misconduct in such office, grossly immoral conduct, or by reason of his conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, or for any violation of the oath which he is required to take before admission to practice, or for a willful disobedience appearing as an attorney for a party to case without authority to do so.”
