THE national leadership of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) is taking announcer and vlogger Ben Tulfo to task for a video released on Aug. 21 where he is shown castigating an Iloilo-based lawyer because of his alleged failure to mediate between his client and the opposing party.
The organization of lawyers led by its new President Burt Estrada supported its Iloilo chapter in taking the cudgels for a local practitioner who was shown in the video being “educated” by Ben Tulfo on legal ethics and criminal procedure.
In a public statement released yesterday, Estrada said the legal profession is besieged by people who, “without the requisite study and training, irresponsibly arrogate upon themselves the interpretation of laws and application of rules.”
He said this “misleads and miseducated the public,” and “erodes its trust on lawyers and judges.”
The video shows Tulfo describing lawyer Kazper Vic Bermejo as a newbie, “marami pang kakaining bigas,” and “may gatas pa sa bibig.” Tulfo says he is “trying to school this attorney, para malaman niya. Kumbaga, back to basic.”
Estrada countered that all lawyers, whether seasoned or newly admitted, are “capable and equally deserving of the respect that is due to officers of the court.”
The IBP Iloilo chapter has previously decried Tulfo’s act as “obstructing the administration of justice which tends to bring the Courts and its officers into disrepute or disrespect.”
In an opinion piece that appeared in Philippine Star Ngayon on Aug. 26, Tulfo told IBP-Iloilo to “shut up” and “admonish your member.” He said that it was IBP national president Domingo Cayosa himself who said that Bermejo was on the wrong side of the argument.
Research showed that Cayosa was no longer IBP national president starting July of this year.
Estrada said Cayosa sent a message clarifying that he was quoted based on “hypothetical facts.” Cayosa was also quoted as saying that he was not informed that the consultation with Tulfo was being recorded for public airing./PN
