MANILA, Philippines – Pro-women’s rights party-list Gabriela slammed Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez for publicly admitting he has an extramarital affair.  

In a joint statement on Friday, March 31, Gabriela Women’s Party Representatives Arlene Brosas and Emmi de Jesus said Alvarez’s admission is “unbecoming of a public servant.”

“As defender of women’s rights, we express grave concern as to how Speaker Alvarez flaunts his extramarital affairs as something ordinary and acceptable,” said Brosas and De Jesus. 

“It reeks of machismo unbecoming of a public servant, more so of the Speaker of the House of Representatives,” they added.

A day before, Alvarez admitted he is in an extramarital relationship with Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio after reports surfaced that his ongoing spat with Davao del Norte 2nd District Representative Antonio Floirendo Jr began when their respective girlfriends fought last year. (READ: Alvarez defends affair: ‘Sino ba’ng walang girlfriend?’) 

Earlier this month, Alvarez filed a graft complaint and a House resolution calling for a probe into the allegedly anomalous joint venture agreement between the Bureau of Corrections and the Tagum Agricultural Development Corporation owned by Floirendo, the Speaker’s longtime friend.  

The Speaker already said the complaints he filed against Floirendo have nothing to do with their girlfriends’ quarrel.

Alvarez’s critics already said he may be disbarred since he publicly admitted to the affair. But he shrugged off the criticism. 

“Kung meron silang nakikitang ethical issues, ipapa-disbar ako for having a girlfriend? Eh ‘di go ahead, mag-file ng complaint! Baka walang matirang abogado!” added Alvarez, laughing.

(If they see some ethical issues as basis to disbar me for having a girlfriend, then go ahead, they can file a complaint! But we might run out of lawyers!) 

Reckless generalization

Brosas and De Jesus called out Alvarez for recklessly generalizing all lawyers have affairs like him. 

“The recent statement made by Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez on his extramarital affairs and his insinuation that all other lawyers in the country might be disbarred too for such act is a reckless generalization,” said the lady lawmakers. 

“It casts unnecessary intrigue on the legal profession which is irrelevant to the main issue that Speaker Alvarez is in,” they added. 

Brosas and De Jesus then called on the public to veer away from the feuding lawmakers and instead center their attention “on the deeper underlying political and economic motives that are at play in the issue.”

The House had stripped De Jesus of her chairmanship of the committee on poverty alleviation after she voted against the controversial death penalty bill. Brosas also thumbed down the measure. – Rappler.com