A.M. NO. 06-4-220-RTC

Ruling

Accordingly, the OCA recommended his suspension from office for three months without salary and other benefits. With respect to Clerk of Court Tavera, the OCA said that he had assumed office barely two months before the judicial audit was conducted; hence, he could not have calendared the hearings of 10 special-proceeding cases. It also favorably cited his explanation that, at the time, he was awaiting the orders of Judge Bugtas to fix the dates and places of the hearings. Legal Researcher and former Officer-in-Charge Quitorio, however, was found by the OCA to be remiss in the performance of his duties. He had failed to submit an accurate Semestral Docket Inventory of Cases for the period January to June 2004. He was also held responsible for the loss of the records of Civil Case No. 3370. For his transgressions, the OCA recommended a fine of P3,000. Finally, the OCA found that Rosalinda L. Obaldo, as the clerk who was in charge of civil cases in Branch 2, should be made liable for the loss of the records of Civil Case No. 3370 and the misplacement of those of Civil Case Nos. 3467 and 3622. Although the OCA concluded that Obaldo was guilty of simple neglect of duty, it reasoned that a fine of P2,000 was in order, considering that this was her first offense. Moreover, she had exerted utmost effort to reconstitute the records of Civil Case No. 3370 and to locate the two misplaced records. The Court's Ruling The Court agrees with the findings of the OCA. Administrative Liability In Re: Report on the Financial Audit Conducted at the MCTC-Mabalacat, Pampanga , [1] this Court declared: "Time and time again, this Court has stressed that those charged with the dispensation of justice -- from the presiding judge to the lowliest clerk -- are circumscribed with a heavy burden of responsibility. Their conduct at all times must not only be characterized by propriety and decorum but, above all else, must be beyond suspicion. Every employee should be an example of integrity, uprightness and honesty." [2] Judging from the disorderly state of affairs in Branch 2, it is apparent that some of its personnel, including its presiding judge, have failed to meet the stringent standards required of court employees; namely, dedication to duty, honesty at all times and loyalty to the judiciary. Section 15(1) of Article VIII of the Constitution mandates that cases or matters filed with the lower courts must be decided or resolved within three months from the date they are submitted for decision or resolution. Moreover, Section 5, Canon 6 of the New Code of Judicial Conduct, directs judges to "perform all judicial duties, including the delivery of reserved decisions, efficiently, fairly and with reasonable promptness." It is axiomatic that the office of a judge shall exact nothing less than faithful observance of the Constitution and the law in the discharge of official duties. Judges must also closely adhere to the Code of Judicial Conduct in order to preserve the integrity