Camille Naredo

Article (news)

THUMBNAIL

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Freddie Nojara proposed on Tuesday incorporating responsible use of social media for lawyers in Article 209 of the Revised Penal Code (RPC), citing changes in the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability (CPRA) over the years. Such &quot;innovations&quot; in the CPRA should be taken into consideration in amending the RPC, according to Nojara. &quot;Kasi ang nakalagay dito, tatlong acts lang. Confidentiality, diligence, saka conflict of interest. Na-expand na po yung CPRA eh. Marami nang grounds for adversative sanctions against lawyers. Puwede ba natin i-adapt &#x27;yun? Or we&#x27;ll just leave it this article doon sa tatlo? Kasi expanded na yung CPRA. Marami nang provisions,&quot; Nojara told lawmakers.Canon II Section 4 of the CPRA states lawyers will not use language which is abusive or otherwise improper, whether through traditional or electronic means, including all types of social media.&quot;I think relevant &#x27;yung responsible use of social media… Maraming lawyers ang gumaganoon,&quot; Nojara added.But this was met with opposition from some who attended the House Subcommittee on Penal Laws meeting held online. House Committee on Revision of Laws Vice Chairperson Representative Antonino Roman III said he is not against integrating changes in the CPRA into the RPC, but this should not be within the framework of Article 209.&quot;There are many concerns but ultimately, the paramount concern of a client is diligent preparation, diligent representation, vigorous representation. Number two, protection of confidentiality. And three, conflict of interest. &#x27;Yan lang... If there are secrets that we share, we&#x27;re not supposed to disclose it,&quot; Roman said. &quot;The heart of 209 is still current. It has not been overtaken by events. These primary concerns still are the primary concerns of clients and will be the primary concerns of clients 30 years from now. It won&#x27;t change,&quot; Roman added.This article of the RPC is on betrayal of trust by an attorney or solicitor, listing penalties for those guilty of breach of professional duty or inexcusable negligence, among other acts. For Attorney Harvey Bilang of Ateneo Law School, there is no need for a &quot;criminal response&quot; for every violation of lawyers&#x27; code of ethics. &quot;We recognize that we are evolving the duties of lawyers. Nadadagdagan, nag-iiba, ganyan. But not every violation of a code of ethics has to have a criminal response. What we need as a society to respond with a criminal response is those that are of grave harm,&quot; Bilang said.

Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Freddie Nojara proposed on Tuesday incorporating responsible use of social media for lawyers in Article 209 of the Revised Penal Code.

Department of Justice (DOJ) prosecutor Freddie Nojara proposed on Tuesday incorporating responsible use of social media for lawyers in Article 209 of the Revised Penal Code.

DOJ prosecutor proposes including responsible social media use for lawyers in RPC

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DOJ prosecutor proposes including responsible social media use for lawyers in RPC

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published August 18, 2026 07:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Revised Penal Code

DOJ

lawyer

social media

House of Representatives

Department of Justice

Freddie Nojara

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