Lawyer disbarred over extramarital affairs with multiple women, 1 bigamous marriage

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court disbarred a lawyer for infidelity after being found having three extramarital affairs and having one bigamous marriage.

In a 24-page decision promulgated on June 4, the high court found Lovejoy Quiambao, guilty of four counts of Grossly Immoral Conduct under the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability which resulted in his disbarment.

Aside from the removal of his name from the Bar, Quiambao was also meted with a total of P400,001 in fines.

The following are the fines per count for grossly immoral conduct:

The complaint rooted when the complainant, Merriam Rojas, learned from their house helper, AAA, that Quiambao sexually abused the latter.

Rojas confronted the respondent about AAA's revelations. During their conversation, the respondent admitted to being addicted to pornography and unable to control his use. 

The spouses then agreed that the respondent required psychological intervention, leading him to seek help from a psychiatrist in Cagayan de Oro.

However, Rojas continued to probe by interviewing his husband’s former employees. She discovered that Quiambao also sexually abused 13 former employees who worked for them as helpers, secretaries, or storekeepers.

Of the 13 women, two were allegedly minors. He also had alleged sexual relations with his former secretary who is the daughter of a pastor. 

Aside from these, there are other incidents Rojas discovered that prompted her to file a petition requesting a protection order before a Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Butuan. The court granted the petition in February 2017.

She also filed a petition for separation before an Agusan del Norte court, which issued a judgment on March 20, 2018, approving the settlement agreement reached by the spouses during mediation. This dissolved and divided their properties from their absolute community.

Aside from the request for protection orders and separation, Rojas also filed a complaint before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) regarding the acts of Quiambao.

According to the IBP Investigating Commissioner, they found Quiambao guilty of serious immoral behavior and recommended that he be disbarred, based on his