IBP reacts to married Speaker’s admission of having a girlfriend

The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) issued a statement on Friday reminding lawyers to maintain “the highest standards of morality, behavior and professionalism.”

Rosario T. Setias-Reyes, IBP national president, issued the statement after House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez admitted having a girlfriend despite being married and said he was ready to face a disbarment case.

“As members of a noble profession and as officers of the court, lawyers are held to a higher standard than most and these standards are seriously enforced by the Supreme Court and by the IBP as the mandatory organization of lawyers,” the IBP statement read.

If a disbarment case should be filed against Alvarez, the IBP assured that he would “be granted the full measure of his right to due process but these shall be the same standards against which his actions shall be measured.” /atm