Lawyer Ferdinand Topacio on Monday said he is not intimidated by the possibility of disbarment proceedings or criminal complaints after controversial remarks he made during a radio program drew criticism online.
In a statement, Topacio said he stands by his comments and denied having any control over a YouTube channel where a recording of the broadcast was reportedly made private.
“The YouTube channel in question is not mine, and I have no control over it. I have no YouTube channel. I only have one social media account in X, which I use sporadically,” Topacio said.
He added that he has no reason to retract his remarks despite mounting criticism.
“I stand by what I have said. I have never been a hypocrite. I mean what I say and I say what I mean,” he said.
Topacio also rejected claims that the video of the program had been taken down due to fears of legal repercussions.
“If the insinuation is that I am afraid, then I want to tell everyone that I am not, especially not of a lawyer who is considered a big joke in the legal community,” he said, in an apparent reference to lawyer Jesus Falcis.
The controversy began after Falcis posted on social media that an episode of Topacio’s radio show dated March 5 titled “Yes Yes Yo Topacio!” was no longer publicly accessible on YouTube after it had allegedly been set to private.
Falcis suggested that the move might have been prompted by concerns over possible disbarment proceedings or other cases that could be filed by women’s groups, including Gabriela Women’s Party, as well as by party-list lawmaker Sarah Elago.
The issue stemmed from comments made by Topacio during the radio program while defending Jesus Suntay.
He said the lawmaker’s analogy in a separate matter was “relevant” to the discussion.
During the broadcast, Topacio also made remarks about male sexual desire and acknowledged that he had previously expressed attraction toward Elago, who earlier served as a representative of Kabataan Party-list before running under Gabriela.
Despite the backlash, Topacio said he would continue addressing the issue on his television and radio programs.
“Let them do their worst, and so shall I,” he said.