MANILA, March 13 (PNA) — The Supreme Court (SC) has dismissed an administrative complaint filed by a taxpayer against Chief Justice Maria Lourdes P. Aranal Sereno.
In an en banc decision, the SC denied for lack of merit “the complaint, dated October 11, 2012, of Juancho Daaco against Sereno, along with Deputy Administrator Antonio M. Eugenio, Jr. for malicious acting in a petition without jurisdiction[.]”
“The complaint, October 11, 2012, of Daaco against [Sereno] for gross negligence and serious misconduct in office, is dismissed for lack of merit,” the SC en banc ruling said.
Assistant Ombudsman Leilani Bernadette Cabras sent a letter to Sereno on Nov. 28, 2012 referring for appropriate action Daaco’s complaint against Eugenio and other members of the staff of the SC for alleged malicious acting in a petition without jurisdiction.
Daaco’s daughter, Amelia Daaco Velasco, was the subject of a criminal case for qualified theft before Tacloban City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Rogelio Sescon.
In her petition for inhibition with prayer for issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO), Velasco alleged that Sescon exercised grave abuse of discretion in handling her case by allegedly deleting stenographic notes and by delaying the proceedings.
Daaco then filed a complaint before the Office of the Ombudsman (Ombudsman) against Eugenio for delaying the proceedings, while Sereno was also charged for allegedly not acting on Velasco’s petition.
However, the SC noted that the relief sought by Daaco for his daughter was “rendered moot and academic with the early retirement of Judge Sescon on January 31, 2013 because of a lingering disease.”
As to Sereno’s case, the SC said that the issue of inhibition was addressed solely to Judge Sescon before whom the criminal case against Velasco was pending.
“No inaction, therefore, can be attributed to Chief Justice Sereno regarding the relief sought by Daaco on behalf of Velasco,” the SC en banc ruling said. (PNA)