Lawyer Jesus Falcis on suspension: A price I willingly paid for family

MANILA, Philippines — Lawyer Jesus Nicardo Falcis III on Monday said he accepts his one-year suspension imposed by the Supreme Court as a price he willingly paid for defending his family, as he challenged the judiciary and the legislature to hold the nation’s top political figures to the same standard of accountability.

“I accept the wisdom of the Supreme Court to suspend me for one year. All lawyers are under the disciplinary power of the Court, and I am no exception,” he said in a statement shared on his Facebook account.

The suspension stems from his social media posts in defense of his brother.

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READ: SC suspends Jesus Falcis over ‘profane’ post vs Kris Aquino supporters

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“Back in 2018 to 2019, I was fighting for the life and liberty of my brother, and my family’s safety and reputation,” the statement read.

“I felt helpless and powerless except for my small voice on social media. We were nobodies, and I was screaming against the void. If being suspended is the price I have to pay for defending my family, then it is a price I will pay in any lifetime,” he added.

Falcis conceded that professional standards must be maintained, recognizing that “words, contained in a tweet, have power” and that word choices carry consequences.

“All lawyers should be held accountable for their words and actions,” he said.

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“I prostrate myself to the Supreme Court for disciplining me and, in the same vein, I beg the Honorable Court to resolve the pending disbarment cases of former President Rodrigo Duterte, and Vice President Sara Duterte, to show that indeed, no one is above the law,” he added.

READ: Disbarment case filed vs former president Duterte

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The statement also aimed at the legislative branch, turning the Senate’s attention to recent controversies involving the Vice President.

“To our dear senator-judges, if a lawyer like me can be suspended for cursing, then a vice president like Sara Duterte should likewise be answerable not just for cursing but for threatening the life of the president and the first lady,” the statement concluded, referencing recent highly publicized political friction.

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“Accountability should apply to all, big or small,” he added. /mcm