In a 42-page per curiam Decision, the Supreme Court En Banc found Judge Sharon M. Alamada-Magayanes[1] (Judge Alamada), Vice-Executive Judge and Presiding Judge of Branch 3, Municipal Trial Court in Cities, Calamba City, Laguna, guilty of Falsification of Official Documents, Serious Dishonesty, Gross Misconduct, Commission of Crimes Involving Moral Turpitude, and Violations of the New Code of Judicial Conduct.
Judge Alamada admitted that the signatures in the payroll registers of the City Government of Calamba pertaining to her contractual driver are hers, where she certified that said former driver had rendered service for the period stated therein although she was aware that the driver has already resigned and was no longer reporting to her court.
The evidence on record also revealed that Judge Alamada was in the possession of the ATM cash card of the driver, and that from September 2020 until July 2021, said driver’s salaries were still being credited to his ATM cash card and were being consistently withdrawn upon the instructions of Judge Alamada.
In dismissing Judge Alamada from the service, the Court En Banc ruled that Judge Alamada’s actions demonstrated her moral depravity and fell short of the standards of a magistrate of the law. Judges are repeatedly reminded to be irreproachable in conduct and to be free from any appearance of impropriety.
Judge Alamada’s false certifications and misappropriation of her staff’s salaries also constitute Gross Misconduct and Serious Dishonesty, which are both considered serious offenses under Canon VI, Section 33 of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability. Judge Alamada’s acts did not only affect the image of the judiciary, but also put her moral character in serious doubt and rendered her unfit to continue in the practice of law. Considering that multiple infractions were committed, coupled with her lack of remorse and the severity of her offenses, the Court En Banc also imposed the penalty of disbarment against Judge Alamada.
Meanwhile, the Court found Judge Alamada’s co-respondents and staff, Rachel Worwor-Miguel (Worwor-Miguel), Clerk of Court III, and Beverly A. De Jesus (De Jesus), Court Stenographer II, guilty of Falsification of Official Documents and Serious Dishonesty for falsifying the payroll registers by signing the same, thereby certifying on behalf of Judge Alamada that the driver has rendered service for the time stated therein, despite knowing otherwise.
In determining their penalties, the Court En Banc took into account, among others, that they only committed the falsifications upon the instructions of their superior, Judge Alamada, and that they did not gain nor benefit from these falsifications. Thus, the Court En Banc fined Worwor-Miguel in the amount of PHP 140,000.00 for falsifying the payroll registers for seven periods and De Jesus in the amount of PHP 20,000.00 for falsifying the payroll register for one period.
The Court En Banc emphasized that court employees are obliged to practice a high degree of work ethic and to set a good example for other court employees in the standards of propriety, honesty, and fairness. The Court reiterated that it will not hesitate to impose the extreme penalty on any judicial officer or personnel who has fallen short of the responsibilities of their office.
The Supreme Court Public Information Office will upload a copy of the ruling in A.M. No. MTJ-23-014 (Judge Magayanes v. Judge Vasquez-Abad); A.M. No. MTJ-23-015 (Judge Vasquez-Abad v. Judge Alamada-Magayanes, et al.); JIB FPI No. 21-033-MTJ (Judge Vasquez-Abad v. Judge Alamada-Magayanes); JIB FPI No. 21-042-MTJ (Judge Magayanes v. Judge Sakkam and Judge Vasquez-Abad) once it receives the same from the Office of the Clerk of Court En Banc.