Andronico Del Rosario
A recent interview of Atty. Larry Gadon has gone viral because of his outrageous declaration. This time, he claimed he’ll make a better Supreme Court justice than Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
In this interview with ANC, Gadon claims that Leonen was merely railroaded into his position within the Supreme Court because of former President Benigno Simeon Aquino, III.
He would later have a meltdown on live TV claiming that Leonen hurdled more experienced judges and lawyers, and would claim he’s a better fit for the Supreme Court.
“Imagine all of the people from the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, Court of Tax Appeals… these people are more qualified. I am more qualified than Leonen in terms of litigation and knowledge in law”, Gadon said during the interview.
Gadon denies Marcoses had a hand in the impeachment complaint vs Leonen, saying it was his own decision to help file the case
He then had a meltdown & complained about the media bringing up his support for the Marcoses, which he says is irrelevant to his role in the case. pic.twitter.com/oxoqQNydfT
— ABS-CBN News Channel (@ANCALERTS) December 8, 2020
Gadon even compared Leonen to former Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, who retired in October 2019–the same month that Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.’s election protest was raffled off to Leonen.
He also cited Leonen’s backlog of cases, which he claimed has been in limbo from anywhere between 3 to 5 years. “The Constitution is specific: cases should be decided within 24 months,” Gadon would add.
He would then tie this into Leonen’s inability to render a decision on the electoral protest. “Leonen is not competent. He is lazy, biased, he does not deserve to be in the Supreme Court.”
Gadon would also question Leonen’s qualifications as a Supreme Court justice. He asked how Leonen was qualified for a Supreme Court justice post when Leonen’s “experience in the government” extended to nothing more than being the chief negotiator for the Philippine government in peace talks with the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF).
This was also when Gadon claimed that he is a better candidate for being a Supreme Court justice, to which Christian Esguerra asked him to put his name in the hat next time there is a need to appoint a new one.
His meltdown on national TV would not go unnoticed by netizens. The Larry Gadon meme package would soon be unearthed and netizens would have all day to stoke the flames.
i Am MoRe qUaLiFiEd tHaN LeOnEn pic.twitter.com/bI9BUGV6qQ
— ross tugade (@rosselle) December 8, 2020
Gadon angrily: I am more qualified than Leonon in terms of litigation and in terms of knowledge of law!!!@IanEsguerra calmly: Then you should have yourself nominated in the JBC next time perhaps.
— Sergio 🇵🇭 (@jownuss) December 8, 2020
Throwback Wednesday #Gadon pic.twitter.com/wqRlHr6iNs
— Elvy Ra 😍 (@EggTarTisYummy) December 9, 2020
https://twitter.com/activistblogger/status/1336220346467319808
One netizen even brought up Gadon as the PH counterpart to another notorious lawyer: Rudy Guiliani, a member of former US President Donald Trump’s legal team.
Larry Gadon and Rudy Giuliani have literally the same ENERGY. 🤣 https://t.co/TpHgNz3Rze
— Shalom Hernandez (@shalomhz) December 8, 2020
Guiliani would figure in a federal investigation for several violations and would unsuccessfully represent Trump in lawsuits to overturn the results of the 2020 US election.
Some, like journalist Jules Guiang, commended Esguerra for his patience and compared Gadon’s confidence level to that of Trump.
Kudos for your patience and your sharp questions @IanEsguerra!!! Gadon lost it when he was asked why didn’t he block the selection process way before Leonen was appointed. Haha grabe talaga si Gadon, Trump levels ang confidence 🤡 pic.twitter.com/AEvxY3Hy2s
— Jules Guiang (@julesguiang) December 8, 2020
Journo Mike Navallo, on the other hand, would post a letter from Leonen’s former students, who had nothing but praise for their former instructor.
Leonen's former students also praise his decisions and opinions as "coherent, carefully researched, clearly written, and enlightening" that aspiring lawyers, scholars, advocates can learn from whether they agree with the decision or not. pic.twitter.com/UFNJkrhSHt
— Mike Navallo (@mikenavallo) December 8, 2020
Gadon vs Leonen: A comparison
Who exactly are our combatants? Let’s look at a comparison between Atty. Lorenzo Gadon and Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen.
Justice Marvic M.V.F. Leonen’s Supreme Court profile gives a full detail of his educational background and what Gadon points out: a stark “lack of experience” in government and judicial litigations.
Leonen holds a degree in Economics from the University of the Philippines where he graduated magna cum laude in 1983. He would earn his law degree from UP four years after his Economics degree and would later earn a Master of Laws degree from Columbia University in New York.
Leonen co-founded the Legal Rights and Natural Resources Center, Inc. (LRC) shortly after obtaining his law degree. LRC would prove to be instrumental in the crafting and defense of the constitutionality of the Indigenous People’s Rights Act of 1997.
He would join UP Law’s esteemed faculty in 1989 and serve as its dean in 2008. In 2010, Leonen would serve as Aquino’s chief negotiator in peace talks with the MILF. He would lead both parties into an agreement that would eventually serve as a start to today’s Bangsamoro Administrative Region.
He would later be appointed by Aquino as a Supreme Court justice in 2012.
Gadon, on the other hand, is known for his appearance in the “landmark case” against former Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, another Aquino appointee to the Supreme Court.
He would try his hand at a government post, running for and failing to win as a senator in the 2019 mid-term elections.
He would also face several disbarment complaints and be suspended from the practice of Law on June 26, 2019 for “abusive and intemperate language”.
Gadon currently represents Bongbong Marcos in his electoral protest versus Vice President Leni Robredo.
