SPS AMADOR AND TEJADA V ATTY. PALANA 8) Res pondent l i ke wi s e f ai l e d t o appe ar on t he
I S S UE
WON
Whe t he rt her e s ponde nthasvi ol at e dt heCodeof
s c h e dul e dda t eoft h ema nda t o r yc onf e r e n c ede s pi t e
Pr o f e s s i o na lRe s p ons i b i l i t yduet oc o nt i nue dr e f us a l
dueno t i c e .
t os e t t l ehi so bl i g at i ont ot h ec ompl a i na nt sa ndf orh i s f a i l ur et o pa r t i c i pa t ei nt hepr o c e e di ngsbe f o r et he
DE C I S I ON
Co mm mmi s s i o no fBa rDi s c i pl i ne
YES - Res pondent ,l i ke al lot herme memb mber soft he bar ,i s
F A CT S
1) Pet i t i oner s s pous esRosi t aandAmadorTe j adafil eda
e x pe c t e dt oa l wa y sl i v eupt ot hes t a nda r dse mb mb odi e d
Co mp mpl a i ntAffida v i tb e f o r et heI nt e g r a t e dBa ro ft h e
i nt heCodeofP r of e s s i ona lRe s pons i bi l i t y , pa r t i c ul a r l y
Phi l i ppi ne s( I BP)t oi ni t i a t edi s b a r me me ntpr o c e e di ngs a g ai ns tr e s p onde ntAt t y .Ant o ni ut t iK.P al a ñaf o rhi s
t hef o l l o w wi i ngCa no nsCa no n1 ,1 . 0 1 ,1 . 0 2 ,7a nd7 . 0 3 - Memb mber s hi pi nt hebari sapr i vi l egebur denedwi t h
c o n t i nue dr e f us a lt os e t t l eh i sl o ng o v e r due l o a n
c o ndi t i ons .A hi ghs e n s eo fmo mo r a l i t y ,ho ne s t y ,a ndf a i r
o bl i g a t i o nt ot he c o m mp pl a i na nt s ,i nv i o l a t i o no fhi s
deal i ngi sexpect edandr equi r edofame memb mberoft he
s wo r ndut ya sal a wy e rt odoj us t i c et oe v e r ym ma a na nd
bar . Rul e 1. 0 1 of t he Code of Pr of e s s i onal
vi ol a t i onso ft hec odeofPr o f e s s i ona lRe s pons i bi l i t y . 2) Some t i me on J anua r y , 200 1 ,r e s pondent l a wye r
Re s po ns i b i l i t y pr o v i de st ha t“ al a wy e rs h a l lno t e n ga g ei nunl a wf ul ,di s h o ne s t ,i mmo r a lo rde c e i t f ul
Ant o ni ut t iK.P al a nat a ki nga dv a nt a geofhi ss p e c i a l
c o n duc t . ”Th en a t ur eo ft heo ffic ffic eo fal a wy e rr e q ui r e s
k no w wl l e dg easal a w wy y e rr e pr e s e nt e dt ot hepe t i t i o ne r s
t hats/he s hal lbe ofgood mor alc hara ct er .Thi s
t ha theha sa na l l e g e dpa r c e lo fl a nda ndt ha thene e ds
q ua l i fic a t i o ni sno to nl yac o ndi t i o npr e c e d e ntt ot he
a n amount of One Hundr e d Thous a nd Pe s os
a dmi s s i on t ot hel e g alpr o f e s s i on,b uti t sc o nt i nue d
( P1 00 , 0 00 . 0 0)s ot h athec oul dr e c o ns t i t ut et het or r e ns
poss es s i on i s es s ent i al t o mai nt ai n one’ s good
t i t l eont hes a me me . 3) Re s ponde ntt heni nduce d byswee tpr omi mi s esand
s t a ndi ngi nt hepr o f e s s i o n.I nde e d,t hes t r e n gt ho ft he
a s s ur a nc e sa s k e d pe t i t i o ne r ss p ous e st ofina nc es u c h under t aki ngwi t hasol emn mncomm mmi t mentonhi spar t
memb mber s . - I n t he i ns t ant c as e , r es pondent ’ s unj us t i fied
t ha ta f t e rheha sa l r e a dy r e c o ns t i t ut e ds u c ht o r r e ns
wi t hho l di n go f pe t i t i o ne r s ’ mo mo ne yy e a r sa f t e ri t
t i t l e ,h e wi l lde l i v e rt he s a m me et ot he pe t i t i o ne r s
be c amedueanddemandabl ede mons t r at e shi sl ac kof
s p o us e si n3mo mo nt hsa ss e c u r i t yf o rt hea mo mo untt he y
i nt e gr i t ya ndf a i r ne s s ,a ndt hi si sf ur t he rhi ghl i ght e d
hadfinance dandwhi c hwasevi dencedi nwr i t i ngby
byhi sl ac kofr e gar df ort hec har ge sbr oughtagai ns t
t hepa r t i e s . 4) Howeve r ,af t err es pondentl awyer ,Ant oni ut t iK.
hi m. I ns t ea d of mee t i ng t he c har ge s hea d on,
l e ga lpr o f e s s i onl i e si nt hedi gni t ya ndi nt e gr i t yofi t s
r e s po nde n tdi dn otb ot h e rt ofil ea nans we rn ordi dh e
Pal anahad got t ent heP170, 000. 00amo mountf r om t he
par t i ci pat ei n t he pr ocee di ngs t o offer a val i d
pe t i t i o ne rs po us e s ,r e s po nde n tf r o mt ha tt i meo nup t o t he pr es ent had i nt ent i onal l y eva ded t he
e x pl a na t i o nf o rhi sc o nduc t . - The Cour tha semp mphat i c al l ys t at e dt hatwhen t he
pe r f o r ma ma nc eofh i sdue ,j us t ,l e g a la n d de ma ma n da b l e
i nt e gr i t yo fame me mb mbe ro ft heba ri sc h al l e ng e d,i ti sno t
obl i g at i onst ope t i t i one rs pous e s . 5) I tt ur ned outt hatal lhi sas s ur ancest hathehad a
enough t hats/he deni est he char gesagai nsthi m;
t or r e nst i t l e ,hewi wi l lr e c o ns t i t ut et h es a me meandde l i v er a na mo mo un to fP 1 7 0 , 0 0 0 . 0 0t ope t i t i o ne rs po us e swe we r e
a g a i n s th i m/h e r .S /h emus ts h o w pr o oft ha ts / hes t i l l
a l lf r a udul e ntr e pr e s e nt a t i onsonhi spa r tore l s e we r eonl yfic t i t i o usi nc ha r a c t e rt ode f r a udpe t i t i o ne r
a ta l lt i me si se x pe c t e do fh i m/he r . - F i na l l y , r e s po nde n t ’ sa c t s , wh i c hvi o l a t e dt heLa wy e r ' s
s pous esoft hei rhardow wn nedmoni es ; 6) Lega ldema mandsha dal r e adybee nma madet or es pondent
Oat h“t odel aynomanf ormoneyorma mal i c e”aswel l
s /hemu mus tmeett hei s s ueandover come met heevi dence ma i nt a i nst ha tde g r e eofmo r a l i t ya ndi nt e gr i t ywhi c h
a st heCo deo fPr o f e s s i o na lRe s p ons i b i l i t y ,wa r r a nt
l a wy wy ert of ul fil la l lhi smo mor a la ndl e ga lr e s pons i bi l i t i e s t ope t i t i o ne rs po us e sb uta l lo fs a i dde m ma a ndss i mpl y wentunhee ded. 7) Des pi t e due not i ce ,r es pondentf ai l ed t o fil e hi s ans wer t o t he c omp mpl ai nt as r equi r ed by t he Co m mm mi s s i o no nBa rDi s c i pl i neo ft heI BP .
t hei mpo s i t i o no fdi s c i pl i na r ys a nc t i onsa ga i ns thi m. NOT OTE S
CANON ON 1 Al a wy e rs h a l luph ol dt hec o n s t i t ut i o n,o be yt h el a wsoft h e l a nda ndpr o m mo o t er e s pe c tf o rl a wa ndf o rl e g a lpr o c e s s e s .
SPS AMADOR AND TEJADA V ATTY. PALANA Rul e1 . 0 1 Al a wy e rs h al ln ote n ga g ei nunl a wf ul ,di s h o ne s t ,i mmo r a lo r
Al a w wy y e rs h a l la ta l lt i me supho l dt hei nt e gr i t ya nddi g ni t yo f t h el e g a l pr o f e s s i o n, a nd s u ppo r tt h ea c t i v i t i e so ft h e
de c e i t f ulc o nduc t .
I nt e gr a t e dBa r .
Rul e1 . 0 2
Rul e7 . 0 3
Al a w wy y e rs h a l lno tc o uns e lo ra be ta c t i vi t i e sa i me da tde fia nc e
Al a w wy y e rs ha l lno te ng a gei nc o nduc tt ha ta dv e r s e l yr e fle c t so n
o ft hel a wo ra tl e s s e ni ngc o nfide nc ei nt hel e g a ls y s t e m m. .
hi sfit ne s st opr a c t i c el a w,no rs ho ul dhe ,whe t he ri npub l i cor pr i v at el i f e ,be ha v ei nas c a nda l ousma ma nne rt ot hedi s c r e di to f
CANON ON 7
t hel e ga lpr o f e s s i on.
