Marcos Names Suspended Lawyer Gadon As Adviser For Poverty Alleviation

A controversial lawyer and defeated senatorial candidate who is facing disbarment cases over his foul language and his alleged violations of the legal profession's code of ethics has been named presidential adviser on poverty alleviation.

President Marcos has appointed Lorenzo “Larry” Gadon to the post, according to Presidential Communications Secretary Cheloy Garafil, who claimed that the move reflected the “government's commitment to address one of the most pressing challenges faced by our nation.”

“He (Gadon) will play a pivotal role in advising the President on strategies and policies aimed at combating poverty and improving the lives of the most vulnerable sectors of society,” Garafil said in a statement issued on Monday, June 26. 

“He will work closely with government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and other stakeholders to design and implement comprehensive programs to address the root causes of poverty,” she added.

Garafil said Gadon's wealth of experience as a corporate executive and legal counsel in diverse sectors, including manufacturing, information technology, realty development, healthcare, resorts and hotels, construction and trading would “contribute to the formulation of innovative and sustainable poverty alleviation strategies.”

Known for his acid tongue insults and profanities, Gadon is facing a number of disbarment complaints for allegedly violating the Code of Professional Responsibility and the Lawyer's Oath. He drew flak for insulting and cursing at the supporters of former chief justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, threatening to kill members of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front who do not cooperate with the government and claiming that the cause of death of former president Benigno Aquino III – who died of renal disease, secondary to diabetes – was human immunodeficiency virus or HIV.

Last year, the Supreme Court (SC) ordered the preventive suspension of Gadon and directed him to explain why he should not be disbarred for a viral video showing him spewing profanities and sexist remarks against journalist Raissa Robles. Gadon uploaded the video after Robles supposedly accused Marcos of being a tax evader.

The SC noted that it had penalized Gadon with a three-month suspension in a disbarment case in 2019 for the statements he made about the use of legal remedies as slow and requiring a lot of resources; and the use of “malicious and arrogant language” against the adverse party and her lawyer.

“The court already reminded the former to be more wary of his actions and to restrain himself in displaying ill temper and to refrain from using abusive and distasteful language. Gadon was already warned that a repetition of the same or similar act shall be dealt with more severely,” the high court said in a statement. 

“But despite such warning, Gadon has continued to display similarly abhorrent behavior, with the viral video against Robles,” it added.

Gadon claimed that he was suspended without due process and floated the possibility that the court's decision may have been politically motivated since he was running for senator that time.

A Marcos loyalist, Gadon ran for senator during the 2022 elections under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan but lost. He was behind the impeachment case against Sereno and a former lawyer for former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

The newly appointed anti-poverty adviser is a graduate of Far Eastern University in Manila, where he obtained his Bachelor of Science degree in Management and his law degree.

He worked as chairman of APU, AsiaGroup Philippines, vice president of Kolonwel Trading Corp. and director of Our Lady of Lourdes International Medical Center and Perpetual Help Hospital. Before his appointment, he was the managing partner of Gadon and Associates Law Office and an associate at Antonio Abad and Associates Law Office.