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SC disbars PBA's Eala for having illicit sex affair


(Updated 5:18 p.m.) The Supreme Court on Wednesday disbarred lawyer Jose Emmanuel "Noli" Eala, commissioner of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA), after the latter was found to have "immorally" maintained sexual relations with a married woman. In a nine-page per curiam decision, the high tribunal set aside a resolution of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines board of governors dismissing a disbament case against Eala. Instead, magistrates found that Eala, a married man himself, "showed disrespect for an institution held sacred by the law" and "betrayed his unfitness to be a lawyer." Eala admitted having a relationship with Irene Moje, then the wife of complainant Joselano Guevarra, but had insisted that it was "low profile and known only to members of their respective families." He also admitted personal knowledge about the certificate of live birth of his daughter with Moje. The SC ruled that it was "sufficiently prove[n] that there was indeed an illicit relationship between respondent and Irene which resulted in the birth of the child." It noted that Eala never denied having an adulterous relationship with Moje. What Eala only said, the SC said, was that he never flaunted their affair. "Without doubt, the adulterous relationship between respondent and Irene has been sufficiently proven by more than clearly preponderant evidence," the high bench said. Guevarra said he found in their conjugal home a love letter dated on the day of his marriage to Moje. The letter turned out to be from Eala, wherein the PBA executive professed his undying love to Moje. "BE MINE.. AND MINE ALONE, and I WILL BE YOURS AND YOURS ALONE! I LOVE YOU FOREVER, I LOVE YOU FOR ALWAYS. AS LONG AS I'M LIVING MY TWEETIE YOU'LL BE!" Eala's love letter read. Guevarra also claimed that Moje moved out of their common home and into a place where he would see the cars of Eala and Moje. This place, Guevarra later learned, was Moje's new home. Eala and Moje's daughter was born on Feb. 14, 2002. The Supreme Court noted that the adulterous acts were carried out before Moje and Guevarra's marriage was voided. It added that it was immaterial if the affair was a discreet one. "While it has been held in disbarment cases that the mere fact of sexual relations between two unmarried adults is not sufficient to warrant administrative action for such illicit behavior, it is not so with respect to betrayals of the marital vow of fidelity," the SC said. The IBP-Committee on Bar Discipline earlier found that Eala should be disbarred for violating Rules 1.01 and 7.03 of the Code of Professional Responsibility. The IBP Board of Governors, however, annulled and set aside on January 28 last year the said decision of the IBP-CBD and dismissed the disbarment case for lack of merit. Eala is the sixth commissioner of the PBA, a position which he has been serving since 2003. - GMANews.TV
Tags: NoliEala
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