By: JANTZEN ALVIN
Inatasan ng Korte Suprema si Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Atty. Persida V. Rueda-Acosta na magmulta ng P180,000 kaugnay ng kanyang social media statements hinggil sa “Conflict of Interest” provision ng Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA).
Ang CPRA ay inilabas noong nakaraang taon. Pinalitan nito ang 34-year-old Code of Professional Responsibility na sumasakop sa conduct of lawyers.
Sa isang kalatas na inilabas ng mataas na hukuman nitong Martes ng gabi, inianunsiyo ng Supreme Court en banc na napatunayan nilang guilty si Acosta sa indirect contempt at grossly undignified conduct prejudicial to the administration of justice.
Nag-ugat umano ang desisyon ng mataas na hukuman sa mga pahayag na ginawa ni Acosta sa social media hinggil sa isyu.
“It was determined that Atty. Acosta’s statements and innuendos on her Facebook page, which was accessible to the public, attributed ill intent and malice to the Court,” anang Korte Suprema sa pahayag.
Dagdag pa nito, “The Court also found that by launching a public campaign against the new conflict of interest rule for the PAO using public attorneys and the PAO’s staff and clients and publicizing the contents of the PAO’s letters to Chief Justice Alexander G. Gesmundo requesting the deletion of the same rule, Atty. Acosta tried to sway public opinion in order to pressure the Court into yielding to her position.”
“Atty. Acosta was meted the penalty of fine in the amount of PHP 30,000.00 for indirect contempt of court and PHP 150,000.00 for Grossly Undignified Conduct Prejudicial to the Administration of Justice, with a stern warning that a repetition of the same or similar offenses shall be dealt with more severely,” anang mataas na hukuman.
Una nang nagpahayag ng pagtutol si Acosta sa Section 22 ng CPRA na nagsasabing ang conflict of interest ay limitado lamang sa PAO lawyers at direct supervisor ng abogado.
Nagpapahintulot ito sa mga PAO lawyers na harapin ang isa’t isa bilang opposing parties.
Hiniling na rin naman ni Acosta sa Mataas na hukuman na alisin ang naturang probisyon mula sa CPRA ngunit hindi ito pinagbigyan ng hukuman.
Bukod naman kay Acosta, pinagmulta rin si Atty. Erwin Erfe matapos na mapatunayang guilty sa indirect contempt, matapos na akusahan ng ‘judicial tyranny’ ang mataas na hukuman sa isang social media post, na may kinalaman sa conflict of interest provision.