SC: 3 Isabela court employees guilty of misconduct

MANILA, Philippines - The Supreme Court (SC) has found three employees of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) of Santiago City, Isabela liable for misconduct for tape-recording a conversation with a litigant and his counsel about the receipt of money for safekeeping by their co-employee and filing a complaint against said co-worker.

In a 13-page decision penned by Justice Arturo Brion, the SC found process server Eugenio Taguba guilty of gross misconduct for disregarding the terms of the Anti-Wiretapping Act within court premises, tape-recording a conversation to secure it as evidence, and using the said taped conversation as basis for a complaint.

The high court gave no credence to Taguba’s claim that his actions were motivated “for the good of the service” and to “ferret the truth” considering the devious method that he employed.

The SC also found stenographers Maripi Apolonio and Ana Garcia Santiago guilty of simple misconduct for their participation in the illegal tape recording of the subject conversation, given the evidence that they merely followed Taguba.

The SC ordered Apolonio’s one-year suspension, since it was already his second offense, while Santiago was meted a six-month suspension.