Alvarez admits girlfriend; dares foes to seek his disbarment
Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez yesterday admitted maintaining romance with another woman not his wife and dared foes to seek his disbarment as a lawyer.
Alvarez said the issue affecting his personal relationship is apparently being used by the camp of Davao del Norte Rep. Antonio “Tonyboy” Floirendo Jr. to muddle the issues he raised against the Floirendo-owned firms that allegedly bagged one-sided contracts with the government through dubious schemes.
In a phone patch interview with House reporters, Alvarez disclosed that he and wife, Emelita Apostol Alvarez, are now estranged and have not been talking to each other for a long time now.
“Kung meron sila nakikitang ethical issues, papa-disbar ako for having a girlfriend eh di go on. Mag-file sila ng complaint, baka wala nang matirang abogado (If they believe I can be disbarred on ethical issues for having a girlfriend, then they can go on. There might be no more lawyer left if they will charge me),” stated Alvarez in a telephone patch interview with members of the House media.
When asked about the alleged romance, Alvarez dismissed the report as “parlor talk” but later yielded when bombarded with nearly the same questions during the phone patch interview.
“Sino ba ang walang girlfriend (But who does not have a girlfriend)?” he said although he refused to divulge how long the said relationship has been.
The woman has been identified as Jennifer Maliwanag Vicencio by Floirendo’s live-in party, businesswoman Cathy Binag.
Reports have indicated that the spat between Alvarez and Floirendo was triggered by a feud between Vicencio and Binag.
Alvarez said the controversy affecting the two ladies should be separated from his filing of graft against Floirendo.
He said the anomalies surrounding the joint venture contract between Tadeco and the Bureau of Corrections should not be clouded by the catfight.
Alvarez said Floirendo has been hiding behind the issue of the two ladies when all that he has to do is to answer the accusations against him. The speaker even dared Floirendo to face him on national television to answer the charges.