JUDGE JENNY LIND R. ALDECOA-A-DELORINO, COMPLAINANT, VS. JESSICA B. ABELLANOSA, COURT STENOGRAPHER III, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, MAKATI CITY, BRANCH 137.

Ruling

Accordingly, Abellanosa's acts of soliciting money from litigants to facilitate the publication of their petitions or orders of the court clearly manifested her desire to achieve personal gain and she had the gall to do these acts even if these were in violation of P.D. 1079. Time and time again, we have stressed that the behavior of all employees and officials involved in the administration of justice, from judges to the most junior clerks, is circumscribed with a heavy responsibility. Their conduct must be guided by strict propriety and decorum at all times in order to merit and maintain the public's respect for and trust in the judiciary. Needless to say, all court personnel must conduct themselves in a manner exemplifying integrity, honesty and uprightness. [23] Abellanosa's act of soliciting money from party-litigants constitutes gross misconduct which is deplorable and hardly meets the foregoing standard; it is a grave offense that carries an equally grave penalty. Under Section 22 (c) of Rule XIV of the Omnibus Rules Implementing Book V of Executive Order No. 292 and Other Pertinent Civil Service Laws, gross misconduct is classified as a grave offense. The penalty for this offense is dismissal even for the first offense. We will reiterate anew that this Court has not hesitated to impose the ultimate penalty on those who have fallen short of their accountabilities. No less than the Constitution enshrines the principle that a public office is a public trust. [24] The Court will not tolerate or condone any conduct, act or omission that falls short of the exacting norms of public office, especially on the part of those expected to preserve the image of the judiciary. WHEREFORE , respondent JESSICA B. ABELLANOSA , Court Stenographer III, Regional Trial Court, Makati City, Branch 137, is hereby found GUILTY of GROSS MISCONDUCT. She is ordered DISMISSED from the service with forfeiture of all retirement benefits and with prejudice to re-employment in the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations. The Employees Leave Division, Office of Administrative Services, OCA, is DIRECTED to compute the balance of respondent Abellanosa's earned leave credits and forward the same to the Finance Division, Fiscal Management Office, OCA, which shall compute its monetary value. The administrative complaints against JUDGE JENNY LIND R. ALDECOA-DELORINO and ROWENA L. RAMOS are DISMISSED for insufficiency of evidence. SO ORDERED.