Facts:

• Judge Rodolfo M. Serrano presided over the Regional Trial Court (RTC), Branch 17 in Kidapawan City, North Cotabato.
• An audit and physical inventory of his cases were conducted near his retirement on August 20, 2002.
• The audit revealed a total of 453 cases: 310 criminal and 143 civil.
• Of these, 105 cases were submitted for decision, while 98 remained undecided as of the follow-up audit on July 10, 2002.
• Judge Serrano failed to act on several cases since their filing, including both criminal and civil matters.
• He attributed his inability to resolve cases to health issues, specifically cirrhosis of the liver.
• He requested relief from certain case assignments to focus on pending cases but only received this relief shortly before retirement.
• The Court withheld P 100,000 from his retirement benefits pending an administrative investigation.
• The Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) recommended finding Judge Serrano administratively liable for delay and neglect of duty, proposing a fine of P 5,000.

Issue:

• (Unlock)

Ruling:

• Yes, Judge Rodolfo M. Serrano is found administratively liable for the delay in deciding the subject cases.
• Judge Serrano is fined P 5,000, which will be...(Unlock)

Ratio:

• The Court highlighted the necessity of timely justice and the judiciary's obligation to resolve cases without undue delay, as required by the Constitution and the Code of Judicial Conduct.
• Judge Serrano's health issues were deemed an unsatisfactory excuse for his failure to decide the cases.
• The Court noted that he could have requested an ex...continue reading