G.R. No. 179895 - FERDINAND S. TOPACIO, VS. ASSOCIATE JUSTICE OF THE SANDIGANBAYAN GREGORY SANTOS ONG AND THE OFFICE OF THE SOLICITOR GENERAL.D E C I S I O N - Supreme Court E-Library

Ruling

Accordingly, it is a well-established principle, dating back from the earliest period and repeatedly confirmed by an unbroken current of decisions, that the official acts of a de facto judge are just as valid for all purposes as those of a de jure judge, so far as the public or third persons who are interested therein are concerned. [46] If only to protect the sanctity of dealings by the public with persons whose ostensible authority emanates from the State, and without ruling on the conditions for the interplay of the de facto doctrine, the Court declares that Ong may turn out to be either a de jure officer who is deemed, in all respects, legally appointed and qualified and whose term of office has not expired, or a de facto officer who enjoys certain rights, among which is that his title to said office may not be contested except directly by writ of quo warranto , [47] which contingencies all depend on the final outcome of the RTC case. With the foregoing disquisition, it becomes unnecessary to dwell on the ancillary issues raised by the parties. WHEREFORE , the petition is DISMISSED . SO ORDERED.