Case Digest (A.M. No. RTJ-03-1791)
Facts:
- Dominador Pantig filed an administrative complaint against several judges for conduct unbecoming of court officers.
- Respondents included:
- Judge Lamberto A. Daing, Jr. (RTC Branch 46)
- Judge Carmelita Gutierrez-Fruelda (RTC Branch 43)
- Judge Pedro M. Sunga, Jr. (RTC Branch 42)
- Judge Pamela Ann A. Maxino (Municipal Trial Court in Guagua, Pampanga)
- The complaint arose from a dispute over Lot 1471, a 13.99-hectare fishpond awarded to Venancio Baltazar in 1969.
- The Pantig siblings contested the ownership and won a reconveyance action in 1984, requiring Baltazar to surrender possession and account for the fishpond's produce since 1969.
- The ruling was upheld by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, becoming final in 1997.
- Despite court orders, the Baltazars continued to occupy the fishpond, prompting Pantig to claim that the judges' delays and biases obstructed enforcement of the decision.
Issue:
- (Unlock)
Ruling:
- The Supreme Court found Judge Lamberto A. Daing, Jr. guilty of unreasonable delay in resolving a motion and imposed a fine of P20,000.
- Charges against Judges Carmelita Gutierrez-Fruelda, Pedro M. Sunga, Jr., and Pamela Ann A. Maxino were dismissed for lac...(Unlock)
Ratio:
- Judges are expected to perform their duties efficiently and promptly, as mandated by the Constitution and the Code of Judicial Conduct.
- Judge Daing's nearly two-year delay in resolving a motion was deemed unacceptable and indicative of gross inefficiency, warranting administrative sanction.
- Errors in judgment by judges do ...continue reading
Case Digest (A.M. No. RTJ-03-1791)
Facts:
This case involves an administrative complaint filed by Dominador Pantig against several judges for conduct unbecoming of officers of the court. The respondents include Judge Lamberto A. Daing, Jr. of the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 46, Judge Carmelita Gutierrez-Fruelda of RTC Branch 43, Judge Pedro M. Sunga, Jr. of RTC Branch 42, and Judge Pamela Ann A. Maxino of the Municipal Trial Court of Guagua, Pampanga. The events leading to the complaint began with a dispute over Lot 1471, a 13.99-hectare fishpond, which was originally awarded to Venancio Baltazar in 1969. Pantig and his siblings contested this ownership through an action for reconveyance, which culminated in a favorable ruling from the RTC of San Fernando, Pampanga, Branch 41 on April 5, 1984. This decision was affirmed by the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, becoming final and executory on February 7, 1997. Despite the issuance of a writ of execution and an Original Certificate of Title in Pantig's name, the Baltazars continued to possess the property without rendering the required accounting of its produce. Pantig alleged that the delays in implementing the court's decision were due to the actions of the Baltazars and the respondent judges. The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) summarized the specific complain...