MANILA, Philippines — Journalist Raissa Robles has filed multiple criminal complaints against suspended lawyer Larry Gadon over his profanity-laced rant at her that contained Filipino equivalents of the f-word and a reference to sex with a dog.
Robles filed the following complaints against Gadon, a candidate for senator under fringe party Kliusang Bagong Lipunan, before the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City:
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- Section 15 of Republic Act 11313 or the Safe Spaces Act, specifically Qualified Gender-Based Streets, Public Spaces and Online Sexual Harassment
- Section 4(c)(4) of RA 10175 or the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, specifically cyber libel
- Article 353 or the Revised Penal Code or libel
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Gadon’s video was a response to a tweet by Robles saying presidential aspirant Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s failure to file income tax returns puts into question whether he paid taxes back then.
The same video clip prompted the Supreme Court to act motu propio — on its own initiative — and order Gadon to explain why he should not be disbarred for his behavior. The tribunal has placed the controversial lawyer under indefinite preventive suspension.
Security
Robles, in her 11-page complaint, said Gadon’s cuss words directed at her are "brutal, dehumanizing, misogynistic and sexist."
"I am certain that the words used by Mr. Gadon in the video constitute terrorizing, unwanted sexual misogynistic, and sexist statements made online, whether publicly or through direct and private messages, which are defined as the criminal offense of Gender-based Online Sexual Harassment," she added.
She said a lawyer friend forwarded the subject video clip to her and she was told that the video was making rounds in various social media groups.
Robles added she did not share the video with anyone, including her fellow journalists from the Foreign Correspondents Association of the Philippines — which later urged the SC to discipline Gadon — but the video went viral anyway.
Robles also shared that the video directed at her has caused and continues to cause her mental, emotional or psychological distress, and fear for her personal safety, for its potential to incite hatred from supporters of Gadon and Marcos.
"Mr. Gadon degraded me to a point that I fear for my personal safety and security both in the real world and in the online world, which is basically my workplace as an online freelance journalist," she said.
"I strongly believe that what Mr. Gadon did was a form of sexual abuse, delivered visually and orally online, and use primarily in this case as a political weapon. It was intended to shred my dignity as a woman, reduce my credibility as a journalist and make me a laughing stock, so that people would not believe what I write and say," the complainant added.
Potential disbarment
The SC on January 4 gave Gadon 10 days to answer why he should not be dropped from the Roll of Attorneys "in consideration of the numerous prior controversies leading to the disbarment cases filed" against him, the most recent of which was the viral video that Robles has filed raps over.
The latest suspension order against Gadon is not the first penalty that the foul-mouthed lawyer has faced.
In 2019, the SC suspended Gadon for three months over his statements about how the use of legal remedies is slow. He was also penalized for “"the malicious and arrogant language he used against the adverse party and her lawyer," the Public Information Office noted.
Gadon is on the slate of Marcos Jr. and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte’s UniTeam.