Court employee dismissed for dishonesty - A.M. No. P-11-2907

A.M. No. P-11-2907

"x x x.

It must be stressed that every employee of the Judiciary should be an example of integrity, uprightness and honesty. Like any public servant, she must exhibit the highest sense of honesty and integrity not only in the performance of her official duties but in her personal and private dealings with other people, to preserve the court’s good name and standing. The image of a court of justice is mirrored in the conduct, official and otherwise, of the personnel who work thereat, from the judge to the lowest of its personnel. Court personnel have been enjoined to adhere to the exacting standards of morality and decency in their professional and private conduct in order to preserve the good name and integrity of the courts of justice.[17] Respondent failed to meet these stringent standards set for a judicial employee and does not therefore deserve to be part of the Judiciary.
In Cruz v. Civil Service Commission[18] and Civil Service Commission v. Sta. Ana,[19] we also dismissed the employees found guilty of similar offenses. In Cruz, Zenaida Paitim masqueraded as Gilda Cruz and took the Civil Service examination in behalf of Cruz. We said that both Paitim and Cruz merited the penalty of dismissal.[20] In Civil Service Commission v. Sta. Ana, somebody else took the Civil Service examination for Sta. Ana. We also dismissed Sta. Ana from the service for dishonesty. We find no reason to deviate from our previous rulings. Under Section 52(A)(1) of the Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service, dishonesty is a grave offense punishable by dismissal for the first offense. Under Section 58 of the same rules, dismissal carries with it cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and perpetual disqualification for reemployment in the government service. However, we exclude forfeiture of accrued leave credits pursuant to our ruling in Civil Service Commission v. Sta. Ana.[21]
WHEREFORE, we find respondent Dominga Nawen Abad, Court Stenographer III, Regional Trial Court, Branch 35, Bontoc, Mountain Province, GUILTY of dishonesty. She is hereby DISMISSED from the service with cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of all her retirement benefits except her accrued leave credits, and with perpetual disqualification for reemployment in any branch or instrumentality of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations.
This Resolution is immediately EXECUTORY.
SO ORDERED.
x x x."