Fortun on Vhong case: Philippines not ready to be fair

MANILA, Philippines - After resigning from the camp of businessman Cedric Lee, lawyer Raymond Fortun lashed back at his detractors and complained that he, his clients and his family were not treated fairly.

Fortun said that he is not driven by financial motivations in the legal profession and that it was not a reason for his decision to accept a role in the cases being faced by Lee in connection with the mauling of TV host Vhong Navarro.

"I come from a family where money was not a primary goal in life; yet, people who have no clue would accuse me of being 'pera-pera'. That comment (aside from those who would include my wife and children in their cursing) hurt the most," Fortun wrote on a public post.

Read: Cedric Lee's spokesman quits

The high-profile lawyer said that his both of parents were lawyers and they never accepted bribes to fix a case even once. He said that in his family "honor is more important than money."

"My dad was the (Regional Trial Court) judge drove around in a (Mitsubishi) Minica that he couldn't have repainted properly because we didn't have enough money," Fortun wrote.

On Sunday, Fortun resigned from the case and said that his clients breached a prior agreement not to give any statements to the media without the consent of their lawyers.

Fortun believes that people need to know more about the law and how it works especially in respecting due process before making judgments.

"All I wanted is for people to be fair, to let the evidence come out before they rendered a guilty verdict. More importantly, I just wanted people to respect the accused's Constitutional rights to due process. But ... this country is not ready to be fair," he said.

In a letter to Lee reported on Sunday, Fortun similarly said that Filipinos are not prepared "to temper their emotions" when it comes to controversial cases.

He urged critics to not to extend their hate to those who honorably do their duties.

"To those of you (you know who you are) who have somehow been remiss: the next time something like this happens, do reflect on why even the worst criminal is entitled to be represented by a lawyer," he said.

Fortun also hopes measures would be put in place to protect lawyers and the accused from the judgment of the public.

"Today, I voluntarily fell on my sword, with the hope that the legal system will be better for the future. May future lawyers learn from this and be stronger than me," he said.