05 March 2016

Throwback: Eala's "Tweetie" Controversy

Noli and Irene
On 1 August 2007, the Supreme Court has disbarred lawyer and Philippine Basketball Association (PBA) commissioner Emmanuel "Noli" Eala because of his "grossly immoral conduct" that stemmed from an extramarital affair.

In a nine-page per curiam decision, the Supreme Court said Eala violated Canons 1 and 7 of Rule 1.01 of the Code of Professional Responsibility of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) in carrying on an extra-marital affair with a married woman prior to the judicial declaration that her marriage was null and void.

By doing so, the Supreme Court said, Eala "showed disrespect for an institution held sacred by the law" and "betrayed his unfitness to be a lawyer."

The high court's ruling followed Joselano Guevarra's complaint for disbarment before the IBP-Committee on Bar Discipline (IBP-CBD) against Eala. The complaint was filed on the ground of gross immorality, alleging that Eala carried on an adulterous relationship with Guevarra's then-wife, Irene Moje.

Guevarra used a love letter addressed to Moje that he found dated on the day of his wedding.

The letter said: "BE MINE ... AND MINE ALONE, and I WILL BE YOURS AND YOURS ALONE! I LOVE YOU FOREVER, I LOVE YOU FOR ALWAYS. AS LONG AS I'M LIVING MY TWEETIE YOU'LL BE!"

The letter sender turned out to be Eala.

Following their separation, Guevarra said he soon saw the respective cars of his wife and Eala's parked at the house that Moje had bought.

The complainant also learned that on 14 February 2002, Moje gave birth to a baby girl. She identified Eala as the baby's father in preparing the birth certificate.

Eala admitted having a relationship with Moje. The former PBA chief, however, said that he kept it "low profile and known only to members of their respective families."

He added that his "purely personal and low profile special relationship with Irene (Moje) is neither under scandalous circumstances nor tantamount to grossly immoral conduct as would be ground for disbarment."

He also admitted having personal knowledge of the birth certificate of Moje’s daughter.

The Supreme Court, however, adopted the findings of the IBP-CBD Investigating Commissioner. It said that Eala’s statements taken with the Certificate of Live Birth of Moje’s daughter "sufficiently prove that there was indeed an illicit relationship between respondent and Moje which resulted in the birth of the child."

The high court said Eala did not deny carrying an adulterous relationship with Moje. What he denied was having flaunted such a relationship, it added.

"Without doubt, the adulterous relationship between respondent and Irene has been sufficiently proven by more than clearly preponderant evidence," the high court's ruling said.

It added that it was immaterial whether Eala carried out his affair discreetly as the case involved "a relationship between a married lawyer and a married woman who is not his wife."

"While it has been held in disbarment cases that the mere fact of sexual relations between two unmarried adults is not sufficient to warrant administrative action for such illicit behavior, it is not so with respect to betrayals of the marital vow of fidelity," the high court added.

Eala later decided to tender his resignation to the PBA Board of Governors.

He later became the sports director of the San Miguel Corporation (SMC) until he was moved to the company's infrastructure division in 2013 following a number of controversies, including a reported disagreement with Alfrancis Chua that led to the latter's resignation as Ginebra coach.

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