MANILA, Philippines — Presidential Adviser on Poverty Alleviation Larry Gadon on Thursday welcomed the dismissal ruling of the Supreme Court in connection with the indirect contempt case filed against him by lawyer Ferdinand Topacio.
But Gadon told The Manila Times via Viber that he has been expecting the high tribunal’s action saying the case filed against him by Topacio was “purely nuisance.
“Atty. Topacio only wanted to gain publicity because that is his specialty - to create noise in the media,” the presidential anti-poverty czar said.
“All noise, that is why all the cases of his clients including ex-president Rodrigo Duterte, Alice Guo, Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo and many more were all lost, as a result they all landed in jail,” Gadon said.
In dismissing Topacio’s complaint, the high court said it only protects freedom of speech and expression even if the statements concern the judiciary and matters of public interest.
It also carefully balanced the need to preserve judicial independence with its duty to uphold the constitutional right to free expression.
The high tribunal said courts should exercise restraint in punishing statements related to public affairs or the official acts of government officials, including members of the judiciary.
Topacio filed the complaint after the high court declared unconstitutional the impeachment articles filed against Vice President Sara Duterte in 2025.
