Title
Civil Service Commission vs. Moralde
Case
G.R. No. 211077
Decision Date
Aug 15, 2018
A dental aide's request for reinstatement and retirement benefits is denied due to voluntary termination and fraudulent time record alterations.
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Case Digest (G.R. No. 211077)

Facts:

  • Gabriel Moralde is the respondent against the Civil Service Commission and the Province of Misamis Oriental, the petitioners.
  • Moralde was employed as a Dental Aide in the Provincial Health Office, assigned to Villanueva and Claveria.
  • He had a history of misconduct, including falsifying public documents and frequent absences without leave.
  • In 1998, he was charged with falsifying his Daily Time Records for March and April.
  • The Provincial Attorney recommended his dismissal due to repeated infractions.
  • On November 8, 1998, while the administrative case was pending, Moralde applied for retirement with the GSIS.
  • The next day, the Provincial Governor found him guilty of falsification and dismissed him from service.
  • Moralde appealed his dismissal to the Civil Service Commission, claiming a violation of due process.
  • In 2003, GSIS approved his retirement application retroactively effective from November 8, 1998, without notifying the Province or the Commission.
  • In 2005, the Civil Service Commission set aside Moralde's dismissal and ordered his reinstatement.
  • In 2007, while processing his reinstatement, the Province discovered Moralde had already retired.
  • The Province filed a motion for a new trial, arguing that Moralde's retirement made reinstatement moot.
  • The Civil Service Commission agreed, declaring the reinstatement moot, which Moralde contested.
  • The Court of Appeals ruled in favor of Moralde, leading to consolidated petitions for review by the Civil Service Commission and the Province.

Issue:

  • (Unlock)

Ruling:

  • The Supreme Court ruled that the Civil Service Commission did not err in declaring Moralde's reinstatement moot and academic.
  • Moralde is not entitled to reinstatement and...(Unlock)

Ratio:

  • The Supreme Court emphasized that Moralde's actions constituted a voluntary severance of his employer-employee relationship with the government.
  • By applying for retirement benefits while an administrative case was pending, he affirmed his separation from service.
  • Public officers who petition for retirement or separation benefits cannot later demand reinstatement, especially to evade administrative liability.
  • Moralde's retirement application was a deliberate ...continue reading

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