Supreme Court orders QC judge to pay P120,000 fine for simple neglect of duty

Adrian Ayalin

ABS-CBN News

The Supreme Court has found former Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 217 Presiding Judge Santiago Arenas guilty of simple neglect of duty. In the decision of the en banc promulgated on December 5, 2023, Arenas was ordered to pay a fine of P120,000. The issue arose from a complaint filed by Dr. Julian Espiritu who charged Arenas of gross ignorance of the law and gross inefficiency on a property dispute. Espiritu alleged that Arenas entertained various motions and pleadings filed by the defendants despite the finality of the case. Arenas countered by saying that he was constrained to hear the defendant&rsquo;s pleadings as they were connected with the complainant&rsquo;s motion for execution. &ldquo;Given the foregoing jurisprudential definitions of the types of neglect of duty, and further considering the prevailing circumstances of this case, the court finds Judge Arenas administratively liable for simple neglect of duty in the performance or non-performance of official functions,&rdquo; the court said in the decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Kho. The SC noted in the decision that Arenas compulsorily retired from the judiciary in 2020 but that did not prevent the court from determining his administrative liability. In the decision, the court also reminded all members of the judiciary that integrity is not only measured by fairness and correctness of decisions rendered but also by efficiency by which disputes are resolved. &ldquo;There is no excuse for mediocrity in the performance of judicial functions,&rdquo; the court said.<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/3/11/sc-denies-now-telecom-s-bid-to-become-new-major-telco-player-1359">SC denies NOW Telecom&#39;s bid to become new major telco player</a><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/10/16/23/supreme-court-to-use-ai-technology-in-courts">Supreme Court to use AI technology in courts</a>

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The Supreme Court has found former Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 217 Presiding Judge Santiago Arenas guilty of simple neglect of duty. In the decision of the en banc promulgated on December 5, 2023, Arenas was ordered to pay a fine of P120,000. The issue arose from a complaint filed by Dr. Julian Espiritu who charged Arenas of gross ignorance of the law and gross inefficiency on a property dispute. Espiritu alleged that Arenas entertained various motions and pleadings filed by the defendants despite the finality of the case. Arenas countered by saying that he was constrained to hear the defendant&rsquo;s pleadings as they were connected with the complainant&rsquo;s motion for execution. &ldquo;Given the foregoing jurisprudential definitions of the types of neglect of duty, and further considering the prevailing circumstances of this case, the court finds Judge Arenas administratively liable for simple neglect of duty in the performance or non-performance of official functions,&rdquo; the court said in the decision penned by Associate Justice Antonio Kho. The SC noted in the decision that Arenas compulsorily retired from the judiciary in 2020 but that did not prevent the court from determining his administrative liability. In the decision, the court also reminded all members of the judiciary that integrity is not only measured by fairness and correctness of decisions rendered but also by efficiency by which disputes are resolved. &ldquo;There is no excuse for mediocrity in the performance of judicial functions,&rdquo; the court said.<a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/business/2024/3/11/sc-denies-now-telecom-s-bid-to-become-new-major-telco-player-1359">SC denies NOW Telecom&#39;s bid to become new major telco player</a>

The Supreme Court found a former Quezon City judge guilty of simple neglect of duty.

The Supreme Court found a former Quezon City judge guilty of simple neglect of duty.

Supreme Court orders QC judge to pay P120,000 fine for simple neglect of duty | ABS-CBN News

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Supreme Court orders QC judge to pay P120,000 fine for simple neglect of duty

Supreme Court orders QC judge to pay P120,000 fine for simple neglect of duty