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Case StudyLegal Profession

Submitted by: TORRALBA, JOSEPH CHR STOPHER T!Se"tion: #$

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A!%! $o! &'() $o*ember '), #)+)

SAL AC O$ -EL .O COR-O A, complainant,vs

ATT/! LA0RE$CE -! COR-O A, respondent.

! 1ACTS:

Salvacion Delizo charged her husband Atty. Laurence D. Cordova in an unsworn letter-

complaint addressed to then Chie !ustice Claudio "eehan#ee, with immorality and acts

unbecoming a member o the $ar. "he letter-complaint was orwarded by the Court to

the %ntegrated $ar o the &hilippines, Commission on $ar Discipline '(Commission(), or

investigation, report and recommendation.

"he Commission, be ore acting on the complaint, re*uired complainant to submit a

veri ied complaint within ten '+ ) days rom notice. Complainant complied and

submitted to the Commission a veri ied version o her long and detailed complaint

against her husband charging him with immorality and acts unbecoming a member o the

$ar.

espondent was declared in de ault or ailure to ile an answer to the complaint within

i teen days rom notice.

%n a telegraphic message, complainant in ormed the Commission that she and her

husband had already (reconciled .

"he Commission re*uired the parties to appear be ore it or con irmation and e/planation

o the telegraphic message and re*uired them to ile a ormal motion to dismiss the

complaint within i teen days rom notice.

0either party responded1 nothing was heard rom either party since then.

Complainant having ailed to submit her evidence ex parte be ore the Commission, the

%$& $oard o 2overnors submitted to this Court its report reprimanding respondent or

his acts, admonishing him that any urther acts o immorality in the uture will be dealt

with more severely, and ordering him to support his legitimate amily as a responsible

parent should.

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o "he indings o the %$& $oard o 2overnors are stated in the case as ollows3

Complainant and respondent Cordova were married on 6 June 1976 and out of this

marriage, two (2) hildren were !orn" #n 19$%, the ouple lived somewhere in &uirino 'rovin e"

#n that ear, respondent Cordova left his famil as well as his o! as *ran h Cler+ of Court of the

egional -rial Court, Ca!arroguis, &uirino 'rovin e, and went to .angago , *islig, /urigao

del /ur with one 0el " olgado" 0el " olgado was herself married and left her own

hus!and and hildren to sta with respondent" espondent Cordova and 0el " olgado lived

together in *islig as hus!and and wife, with respondent Cordova introdu ing 0el to the pu!li

as his wife, and 0el olgado using the name 0el Cordova" espondent Cordova gave 0el

olgado funds with whi h to esta!lish a sari3sari store in the pu!li mar+et at *islig, while at the

same time failing to support his legitimate famil "

4n 6 5pril 19$6, respondent Cordova and his omplainant wife had an apparent

re on iliation" espondent promised that he would separate from 0el olgado and !rought his

legitimate famil to *islig, /urigao del /ur" espondent would, however, fre uentl ome home

from !eerhouses or a!arets, drun+, and ontinued to negle t the support of his legitimate famil "

#n 0e!ruar 19$7, omplainant found, upon returning from a trip to .anila ne essitated !

hospitali ation of her daughter 8oraine, that respondent Cordova was no longer living with her

( omplainant s) hildren in their on ugal home: that respondent Cordova was living withanother mistress, one 8uisita .agallanes, and had ta+en his ounger daughter .elanie along

with him" espondent and his new mistress hid .elanie from the omplainant, ompelling

omplainant to go to ourt and to ta+e !a + her daughter ! ha!eas orpus" -he egional -rial

Court, *islig, gave her ustod of their hildren"

;otwithstanding respondent s promises to reform, he ontinued to live with 8uisita

.agallanes as her hus!and and ontinued to fail to give support to his legitimate famil "

0inall the Commission re eived a telegram message apparentl from omplainant,

stating that omplainant and respondent had !een re on iled with ea h other" 1