PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Raul Lambino

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court has issued a show cause order to PDP-Laban senatorial candidate Raul Lambino asking to explain why he should not face administrative sanction for spreading false information during the arrest of former President Rodrigo Duterte. 

According to the SC Information Office, the En Banc issued a show cause order against Lambino on April 2 after he falsely claimed that a Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) had been issued by the High Court temporarily blocking the arrest. 

“This misinformation caused public confusion and misled the people about the Supreme Court’s actions,” the Supreme Court said in a press briefer Tuesday. 

It can be remembered that the false information about a TRO having been released by the SC spread on the day of the arrest of the former president. 

Lambino himself posted during the evening of the arrest that a TRO has been issued by the SC. 

The SC holds jurisdiction over Lambino who is a member of the Philippine Bar. Under lawyers’ Code of Professionalism and Accountability, practitioners of the legal profession are prohibited from taking part in the spread of “fake news.” 

During the March 11 arrest, Sen. Ronald “Bato” dela Rosa, the chief implementer of the Duterte administration’s war on drugs, filed a petition to the SC seeking for the immediate issuance. 

That same night, Duterte’s lawyer Israelito Torreon rushed to the SC compound to confirm if a TRO had indeed been issued. 

The disinformation triggered an emotional response from Duterte supporters rallying outside Villamor Air Base where the former president was held before being flown to The Hague, Netherlands. 

A day after, SC spokesperson Camille Sue Mae Ting denied that a TRO was issued. 

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