Larry Gadon | |
---|---|
Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation | |
Assumed office June 26, 2023 | |
President | Bongbong Marcos |
Personal details | |
Born | Lorenzo Gacilo Gadon March 1,1958 Roxas,Oriental Mindoro,Philippines |
Political party | KBL |
Spouse | Bernadette de Leon (m. 1985) |
Children | 2 |
Alma mater | Far Eastern University (BS, LL.B.) |
Occupation | Politician, radio broadcaster |
Profession | Lawyer (disbarred) |
Lorenzo "Larry" Gacilo Gadon [1] (born March 1, 1958) is a Filipino politician and disbarred lawyer who currently serves as the Presidential Adviser for Poverty Alleviation for President Bongbong Marcos since 2023. [2] [3] [4] Gadon ran for a senatorial seat in 2016, 2019 and 2022 election, all of which were unsuccessful. [5] [6] [7] Gadon has gained notoriety for his use of vulgar language and his hardline stance against perceived liberals and communists. [8] [9] Since 2019, he is one of the co-hosts of Karambola on DWIZ-AM.
Gadon was born on March 1, 1958, in Roxas, Oriental Mindoro to Sulpicio Gadon and Lazarita Gacilo. [10] He obtained both his Bachelor of Science in Commerce and Bachelor of Laws from Far Eastern University.
Gadon was part of the legal team and adviser of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. [11] [12]
Gadon ran for senator in the 2016 elections under Kilusang Bagong Lipunan but failed to win a seat. [11]
He again ran for senator in the 2019 midterm elections, which he again lost. [13]
He ran for a third consecutive time in the 2022 elections, under the senatorial slate of the UniTeam Alliance. Among his platforms were plans to amend the 1987 Constitution. He lost for a third time.
On June 26, 2023, he was appointed Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation by President Bongbong Marcos; he took oath of office before Marcos on July 10. [14] He promoted his version of a government feeding program called "Batang Busog, Malusog" (lit. transl. "Full child, healthy child!", with the initials BBM after the president) as one of his first projects to address youth malnutrition. [15]
Two days later on June 28, Gadon was unanimously disbarred by the Supreme Court, citing his misogynistic, sexist, abusive, and repeated intemperate language. [16] He was also cited in direct contempt for his "baseless allegations of bias" against Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen and Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa. [17]
In 2017, Gadon filed an impeachment complaint against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, claiming Sereno's failure to be truthful in her Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN) as well as tax misdeclarations and unauthorized expenses. [18] After the impeachment process began, a quo warranto petition was filed on March 5, 2018, by Solicitor General Jose Calida to nullify her appointment. On May 11, 2018, the Supreme Court voted to nullify Sereno's appointment by a vote of 8–6. [12] No impeachment trial took place as the petition rendered the complaint moot.
On December 7, 2020, Gadon represented Filipino League of Advocates for Good Government Secretary General Edwin Cordevilla in filing an impeachment complaint against Associate Justice Marvic Leonen. Prior to the complaint, Gadon requested access to Leonen's SALN to prepare a quo warranto petition but was rejected by the Supreme Court. [19] The impeachment complaint was unanimously junked by the House of Representatives on May 27, 2021. [20]
At least four disbarment cases were filed against Gadon in 2018 for cursing and flashing his middle finger during a Baguio protest related to the Sereno case. During the protest, Gadon referred to Sereno's supporters as "mga bobo" (lit. "idiots") and raised his middle finger at them. [21] The video, as recorded by various media channels, went viral on Philippine social media and has been the subject of memes and parodies. [22]
The Supreme Court of the Philippines imposed a three-month suspension on Gadon in 2019 for using “offensive” language towards a doctor in violation of the Code of Professional Responsibility of Lawyers. [23]
On December 15, 2021, Gadon went on a profanity-laden rant against journalist Raissa Robles, who described then-presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos as a "tax evader" for his 1997 tax conviction. [24] As a result, the Supreme Court suspended him indefinitely on January 4, 2022. [25] A month later, Robles filed complaints for libel, cyberlibel and violation of the Safe Spaces Act against him for sexually harassing her. [26]
On Wednesday, June 28, 2023, Gadon was disbarred by the Supreme Court of the Philippines with a vote of 15–0 over a viral video where he "repeatedly cursed and uttered profane remarks against journalist Raissa Robles". The high court found Gadon's video as "indisputably scandalous that it discredits the legal profession." [27]
Gadon does not believe in the alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Marcos family and supported the state burial of Ferdinand Marcos. [28]
Gadon was against Bangsamoro Organic Law during the 2016 elections. He has since changed his mind and supported it during his 2019 campaign, believing that it will end the decades-long conflict in Mindanao. [29]
Gadon is against same-sex marriage, believing that it violates the sanctity of marriage.
Gadon is in favor of the Freedom of Information Bill.
Gadon is a staunch anti-communist and opposes far-left groups such as the Communist Party of the Philippines, New People's Army, and the National Democratic Front.
In a 2016 interview with journalist Kara David on GMA News TV's News to Go , Gadon said that he wants all Muslims or Moros, even children, killed by burning their homes through the Armed Forces, when he was asked about the problems on Moro rebels in Mindanao. As a result, two Moro lawyers and a peace advocate from Lanao del Sur filed separate disbarment complaints at the Supreme Court against Gadon. Gadon later issued an apology, stating that he was carried away by his emotions. [30] Three years later, he clarified that he was not anti-Muslim and said that he was referring to troublemakers in Mindanao and only supported killing terrorists. [29]
On August 15, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gadon was spotted in a public gathering wearing a face shield with a face mask taped over it. [31] In a statement, Gadon claimed that the face masks are "only for a show" because stores refused entry to people not wearing them. On a Facebook live video, Gadon made multiple inaccurate claims about mask wearing and advocated alternative medicine such as traditional Chinese medicine and drinking vodka to "cure" COVID-19. [32] Gadon also stated he does not "believe in masks" and the government "overreacted to the COVID paranoia." [33]
Both the Department of Health and Philippine National Police warned Gadon that he may be arrested if he continued to violate quarantine protocols. [34] [35]
On June 24, 2021, Gadon falsely claimed on his radio program Karambola on DWIZ-AM that former president Benigno Aquino III died of HIV/AIDS while laughing about his demise. The former president's family later announced that renal disease, secondary to diabetes, was the cause of Aquino's death. [24] In December 2021, another disbarment case was filed against him by complainants living with HIV for gross misconduct and breaching confidentiality on HIV-related information. [36]
In an interview with One News, Gadon answered to the hosts that he will wait for Senior Associate Justice Marvic Leonen to die first before he would ever try to have his disbarment reconsidered, despite the Supreme Court voted unanimously (15–0) for his disbarment. [37] On August 17, 2023, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines expressed their contempt against Gadon's statements. [38]
Gadon is open about his personal grudge against the magistrate, vexing him by mispronouncing his first name from "Marvic" to "Marivic", and would sometimes label him as "dilawan" (transl. yellow; derogatory term referring to Liberal Party and Aquino supporters) for having been appointed by former President Benigno Aquino III into his position in the Supreme Court in 2011. In 2020, Gadon claimed Leonen had no substantial experience in litigation, which were all debunked. [39]
Impeachment in the Philippines is an expressed power of the Congress of the Philippines to formally charge a serving government official with an impeachable offense. After being impeached by the House of Representatives, the official is then tried in the Senate. If convicted, the official is either removed from office or censured.
Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on April 9, 2002, and later as Chief Justice on May 12, 2010, upon the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.
Aquilino Martin de la Llana Pimentel III, commonly known as Koko Pimentel, is a Filipino politician and lawyer serving as the Senate Minority Leader since 2022. He has been a Senator since 2011 and previously served as the Senate President of the Philippines from 2016 to 2018. He is also the national chairman of Partido Demokratiko Pilipino–Lakas ng Bayan (PDP–Laban). As the eldest son and third child of the former Senate President Aquilino Pimentel Jr., he is the first child of a previous Senate president to hold the office. He was sworn in on August 12, 2011, and was proclaimed as the 12th winning senator in the 2007 election. Pimentel was one of the high-ranking public officials who drew flak for breaching the COVID-19 quarantine protocols.
Marvic Mario Victor Famorca Leonen is the Senior Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines since May 14, 2022 upon the retirement of Senior Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe. He became an associate justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines on November 21, 2012 – the second youngest jurist to hold the said position and the youngest after Manuel V. Moran in 1938. Prior to his stint in the country's highest court, he served as chief peace negotiator of the Republic of the Philippines in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. Leonen has been called, "The Great Dissenter" of the Supreme Court, often standing close to liberal and human rights-oriented decisions against the conservative bench close to Rodrigo Duterte and related dictatorial beliefs.
Teodoro "Teddy Boy" Lopez Locsin Jr. is a Filipino politician, diplomat, lawyer, and former journalist who is currently serving as the Philippine Ambassador to the United Kingdom since August 30, 2022. He previously served as the Secretary of Foreign Affairs under the Duterte administration from 2018 to 2022. He was a member of the House of Representatives from 2001 to 2010, representing the 1st district of Makati and later served as the Philippine ambassador to the United Nations from 2017 to 2018. He was the host of the editorial segment titled "Teditorial" for ANC's nightly newscast The World Tonight.
The presidency of Benigno Aquino III began on June 30, 2010, when he became the 15th president of the Philippines, succeeding Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. His term ended on June 30, 2016. Aquino, the third-youngest person elected president, is the only son of the 11th president, Corazon Aquino, and former senator Benigno Aquino Jr.
Leila Norma Eulalia Josefa Magistrado de Lima is a Filipina politician, lawyer, human rights activist and law professor who previously served as a Senator of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. She was the chairperson of the Commission on Human Rights from 2008 to 2010, before serving in President Benigno Aquino III's cabinet as Secretary of Justice from 2010 to 2015.
Maria Lourdes "Meilou" Aranal-Sereno is a Filipina lawyer and judge who served as de facto chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2012 until her removal in 2018.
Renato Corona, the 23rd chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, was impeached on December 12, 2011. Corona was the third official, after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in March 2011, to be impeached by the House of Representatives.
The Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012, officially recorded as Republic Act No. 10175, is a law in the Philippines that was approved on September 12, 2012. It aims to address legal issues concerning online interactions and the Internet in the Philippines. Among the cybercrime offenses included in the bill are cybersquatting, cybersex, child pornography, identity theft, illegal access to data and libel.
Edwin M. Cordevilla, is a poet and journalist based in the Philippines. He is the author of Phoenix and Other Poems, The Occasions of Air, Fire, Water, Earth (2012), and the non-traditional epic poem Ten Thousand Lines Project For World Peace (2013). He is a co-author of the coffee-table book, Marikina: Kapuri-Puri Ka (2002), showcasing the transformation of Marikina from a backward municipality to a vibrant and model city, and the principal author of Duterte Chronicles: The Storm From Davao (2016), a book that re-created the rise of President Rodrigo Duterte from obscurity to the Philippine presidency, covering the years 2014 to 2016.
The Free Legal Assistance Group (FLAG) is a nationwide organization of human rights lawyers in the Philippines. It was founded in 1974 by Sen. Jose W. Diokno, Lorenzo Tañada, J.B.L. Reyes, and Joker Arroyo during the martial law era under former President Ferdinand Marcos. It is the first and largest group of human rights lawyers established in the nation. They work on countering varied abuses against human rights and civil liberties. Its current chairman since 2003 is human rights attorney Chel Diokno, the founding dean of the De La Salle University Tañada-Diokno School of Law.
Pantaleon Diaz Alvarez is a Filipino lawyer and politician serving as the Representative of Davao del Norte's 1st district since 2016, previously holding the position from 1998 to 2001. He served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives from 2016 to 2018. He also served as the Secretary of Transportation and Communications in the Cabinet of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from 2001 to 2002.
Samuel Reyes Martires is a Filipino lawyer serving as the Ombudsman of the Philippines since 2018. He was an Associate Justice of the Supreme Court from 2017 to 2018.
Efforts to impeach Rodrigo Duterte began in March 2017 when several opposition figures filed an impeachment complaint against Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte for his role in the war on drugs and other issues.
The quo warranto petition against Maria Lourdes Sereno, filed before the Supreme Court of the Philippines, led to the landmark case Republic v. Sereno, which nullified Maria Lourdes Sereno's appointment as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, finding that she never lawfully held the office due to a lack of integrity for failing to file certain required financial documents. As a result, she was ousted from the Supreme Court as Chief Justice. The Court handed down its ruling on May 11, 2018. The case began with a filing before the House of Representatives of an impeachment demand, the accusations in which Solicitor General Jose Calida used as the factual basis for his quo warranto petition.
Tranquil Gervacio S. Salvador III is a Filipino lawyer, educator, and civic leader. He has served as spokesperson and member of the defense panel for the impeachment of the then-Chief Justice Renato Corona and handled other notable cases of Filipino personalities and corporations.
The Kapa-Community Ministry International was one of the biggest financial investment fraud scandals in Philippine history. An estimated five million people were duped by the religious company Kapa-Community Ministry International, which promised a 30% monthly return on investments for life. Kapa started in 2016 as Kapa Coop Convenience Store and General Merchandise in the city of Bislig, founded by Pastor Joel Apolinario. The City Economic Enterprise Department (CEED) shut down the business for failing to comply with some provisions. In August 2017, Apolinario was charged with 102 cases for not settling claims; 27 arrest warrants were issued. However, all the cases were dismissed with the complainants compensated. Apolinario's company moved south, becoming Kapa-Community Ministry International. The company enlisted new recruits, who became member-donors and in turn recruited new members. On June 8, 2019, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the corporation to be shut down over the scheme.
Disini v. Secretary of Justice, 727 Phil. 28 (2014), is a landmark ruling of the Supreme Court of the Philippines handed down on February 18, 2014. When the Congress of the Philippines passed the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 the bill was immediately controversial, especially its strict penalties for the new crime of "cyberlibel", an upgraded form of the already existing criminal libel charge found in the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines.
Lorraine Marie Tablang Badoy-Partosa, better known as Lorraine Badoy and sometimes also called Lorraine Partosa, is a Filipino physician, government official, and political figure best known for having been one of the spokespersons of the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, and for being involved in various controversies relating to the practice of red-tagging in the Philippines.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)