THE Supreme Court has disbarred a lawyer for falsifying a court order.
The SC, in decision during its session last Tuesday, disbarred Ariel Maglalang “for fabricating a supposed order dated August 2, 2006 in Civil Case No. 206-16977, granting a purported petition for presumptive death of his client’s husband.”
“Atty. Maglalang made it appear that he filed the said petition on behalf of his client who, in reality, directed him to file not a petition for presumptive death but a petition for nullity of marriage,” the SC said.
The SC said Maglalang also made it appear that the petition was heard and granted by Judge Ray Alan Drilon of the Regional Trial Court Branch 41 in Bacolod City.
In February 2006, Maglalang was engaged as counsel for his client to initiate a petition for declaration of nullity of marriage in consideration for P100,000, and guaranteed that his client could get a favorable decision in three months.
In November 2006, Maglalang gave his client a forged order which declared his client’s spouse presumptively dead “for all purposes” pursuant to Article 390 of the Civil Code.
Judge Drilon and clerk of court Corazon Romero learned of the existence of the forged order and asked the National Bureau of Investigation to step in, which eventually led to the filing of administrative case against Maglalang.
