FACT CHECK: SC did not disbar Batangas representative Gerville Luistro

Claim: The Supreme Court has officially disbarred Batangas 2nd District Representative Gerville Luistro. 

Rating: FALSE 

Why we fact-checked this: The post bearing the claim has already received 1,600 reactions, 621 comments, and 207 shares as of writing. It was posted on April 28, amid the House justice committee’s hearing on the impeachment complaints against Vice President Sara Duterte, where Luistro serves as chairperson. 

The post shows a composite photo of Duterte, Luistro, and Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo. The text on the photo reads, “Korte rumesbak kay Luistro? Sinibak na? Disbar na? Binawian ng lisensya? Bilis ng karma Luistro nasampolan na.” 

(Court dismisses Luistro? Fired? Disbarred? License revoked? Karma is swift. She already got a taste of it.) 

Most of the Facebook users in the comment section believed the claim. One comment reads, “Tama yan tanggalan ng lisensya ang mga tiwaling abugado lalo na sa Congress, mga miyembro ng sindikato ng nakawan sa kaban ng bayan isama na din…”

(That’s right, revoke the licenses of corrupt lawyers, especially those in Congress, and include members of the syndicate looting public funds too.)

The facts: The Supreme Court (SC) did not release any decision removing Luistro’s license to practice law. She was also not removed from office and remains a lawmaker, as seen on the website of the 20th Congress. 

Section 27 of Rule 138 of the Rules of Court states that the Supreme Court has the power to remove or suspend a member of the bar from their office as attorney “for any deceit, malpractice, or other gross misconduct in such office, grossly immoral conduct, or by reason of his conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude, or for any violation of the oath which he is required to take before admission to practice, or for a wilful disobedience of any lawful order of a superior court, or for corruptly or wilfully appearing as an attorney for a party to a case without authority so to do.” 

The Supreme Court may initiate a disbarment case against a lawyer on its own initiative, even without the presence of a party that pushes for the case. 

No reports confirm that Luistro is currently facing a disbarment case, and the misleading post offers no evidence for its claim. 

In 2024, Vera Files debunked a post falsely claiming that a disbarment case had been filed against Luistro. 

Expulsion: While the Supreme Court has the power to disbar lawyers, the authority to expel a lawmaker from his or her position still resides in the legislative branch.
Article 6, Section 16(3) of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states that each House “may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its Members for disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two-thirds of all its Members, suspend or expel a Member. A penalty of suspension, when imposed, shall not exceed sixty days.”

Impeachment: The posting of the false claim coincided with the House impeachment hearing against Duterte. On May 4, the House justice committee approved the report on Duterte’s impeachment articles after a total of 55 lawmakers voted in favor of it. (LIST: The 4 articles of impeachment vs VP Sara Duterte)

The plenary vote is expected to be held on May 11, Luistro said. A one-third vote in the plenary will lead to Duterte’s impeachment for the second time. The articles of impeachment will then be transmitted to the Senate, which will hold a trial to determine her guilt.

Previous fact-checks: Rappler has previously fact-checked similar claims about Luistro and the impeachment: 

• FACT CHECK: Gerville Luistro not removed from House 
• FACT CHECK: Supreme Court did not dismiss Sara Duterte impeachment after House hearings 
• FACT CHECK: Supreme Court did not order Ramil Madriaga’s detention 
• FACT CHECK: Arroyo not the new House speaker, did not junk impeachment raps vs VP Sara 
• FACT CHECK: 2025 news report used to claim VP Sara is now impeached 

– Angelee Kaye Abelinde/Rappler.com 

Angelee Kaye Abelinde is a student journalist based in Naga City, and an alumna of Rappler’s Aries Rufo Journalism Fellowship 2024. 

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