Disbarment complaint filed vs Duterte

MANILA, Philippines — Families of victims of extrajudicial killings and advocates of human rights have urged the Supreme Court (SC) to revoke former president Rodrigo Duterte’s license to practice law, arguing that he has violated the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability and engaged in conduct unbecoming of a lawyer.

The complainants, led by the rights group Karapatan, filed a disbarment complaint against Duterte before the SC on Jan. 17.

One of the complainants, lawyer Vicente Jaime Topacio, cited the remarks Duterte made throughout his six-year presidency as evidence that he is unfit to practice law.

“Our whole nation witnessed how he uttered profanities and offensive words, insulted our women, made shortcuts and ignored the process and killed people. This does not have a place in our laws,” he told reporters in Filipino.

Duterte’s remarks before the House quad committee, which is investigating alleged human rights violations during his administration, should also be brought before the SC, Topacio said.

During one of the committee’s hearings, Duterte claimed he had killed at least six people during his stint as Davao City mayor. He also revealed he killed several crooked police officials.

Topacio is the son of National Democratic Front members Agaton Topacio and Eugenia Magpantay, who were killed in November 2020 during the Duterte administration.

Other complainants include Llore Pasco, who lost her sons Crisanto and Juan Carlos in a 2017 police drug war operation; Liezel Asuncion, widow of Bayan-Cavite coordinator Manny Asuncion, one of nine activists killed in the 2021 “Bloody Sunday” raids; Rosenda Lemita, whose daughter and son-in-law, Ana Mariz and Ariel Evangelista, were killed during the same raids, and Lean Porquia, son of slain Bayan Muna-Panay coordinator Jory Porquia.

Also listed as complainants are Karapatan secretary general Tina Palabay, Fr. Manuel Gatchalian, Bayan secretary general Raymond Palatino, Hustisya secretary general Ofelia Balleta, Satur Ocampo,  Eleanor Llanes and cultural workers Bonifacio Ilagan, JL Burgos and Kiri Dalena.

Palabay said the disbarment complaint against Duterte also coincides with the filing of several impeachment complaints against his daughter, Vice President Sara Duterte, for whom the elder Duterte has volunteered to serve as one of her lawyers.

“We don’t want to hear ex-president Duterte in the impeachment trial if he will just be uttering the same, using his badge as a lawyer and a former prosecutor,” she said.

For her part, Pasco said the former president should not be allowed to practice law, as he failed to uphold the rights of every Filipino, especially the poor, which lawyers are obliged to do.

“A lawyer should defend the rights of every Filipino, especially of the poor like us who were killed without due process until now,” she said.

Duterte previously stated that he would take “full legal responsibility” for his administration’s war on drugs, which officially left more than 6,000 people dead. However, rights groups estimate the actual number may have reached as high as 30,000 due to unreported related killings, mostly involving poor men who were killed by officers and vigilantes, often without proof that they were linked to drugs.