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Stock photo shows a woman on a laptop showing "fake news."
memyselfaneye / Pixabay
MANILA, Philippines — Lawyers who spread fake news must be punished.
This was the sentiment of several House leaders, who are criticizing lawyer Raul Lambino’s alleged dissemination of false information pertaining to the Supreme Court (SC)’s “issuance” of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on former president Rodrigo Duterte’s arrest.
House assistant majority leader and Zambales 1st district Rep. Jay Khonghun said that if Lambino falsely claimed about the existence of a TRO during the latter’s livestream on March 11, then he should be punished for violation of the Code of Ethics of lawyers.
Khonghun emphasized that legal professionals have a duty to uphold the truth and should be held accountable for spreading misinformation.
“If (he is) the one who spread it, he is accountable for the lawyers’ ethics. Lawyers ought not to spread fake news. They should never tell lies. So, they have to be accountable for each word that they utter,” Khonghun said in a Zoom press conference on March 13.
The SC recently denied the petition filed by Duterte and Sen. Ronald dela Rosa seeking to halt government agencies’ cooperation with the International Criminal Court (ICC), which is investigating Duterte for crimes against humanity.
Khonghun emphasized that the SC ruling upholds due process and affirms that no one can use the law to evade accountability.
“In the absence of a TRO, it means government agencies are not immediately barred from cooperating, especially with the Interpol (International Police) pertaining to a warrant of arrest of the former president. No one can use the law to shield them from accountability and responsibility,” he said.
The false reports about a TRO surfaced on the night Duterte was arrested and transferred to the Netherlands to face trial before the ICC.
The SC had already clarified that no TRO was issued.
