Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=81982:56003&catid=1572&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-21 04:42:24+00:00

Document:
A.M. OCA IPI No. 02-1321-P, July 16, 2013 - CONCERNED CITIZEN, Complainant, v. NONITA V. CATENA, COURT STENOGRAPHER III, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, BRANCH 50, PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, Respondent.
CONCERNED CITIZEN, Complainant, v. NONITA V. CATENA, COURT STENOGRAPHER III, REGIONAL TRIAL COURT, BRANCH 50, PUERTO PRINCESA, PALAWAN, Respondent.
Gross dishonesty on the part of an employee of the Judiciary is a very serious offense that must be severely punished. Dismissal may be meted on the employee, unless she had meanwhile ceased to be an employee, in which case a high fine shall be imposed.
This administrative case stemmed from an undated anonymous letter-complaint charging respondent Nonita Catena (Catena), a Court Stenographer III of Branch 50 of the Regional Trial Court in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan (RTC) with gross dishonesty she allegedly committed in connection with her Civil Service eligibility accusing her of having caused another person to take the Civil Service Eligibility Examination in her stead.
I would like to bring to your attention an anomaly brought about by one Noneta Catina.
She is permanently employed as stenographer under the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 50 here in the Justice Hall of Puerto Princesa City.
In 1998, somebody took the stenographer’s examination in her behalf in Leyte. She allegedly passed said examination that gave her the permanent position of stenographer in 1998.
May I request for a verification and if found guilty, I hope CSC will do something in fairness to those who are taking your Stenographer’s examination.
Catena implored the OCA for a 30-day extension of the period within which to submit her comment.4 Despite her request being granted, she failed to submit a comment, causing the Court to issue a tracer letter on September 24, 2002,5 but still enjoining her to comply with the previous directive to file a comment within five days from notice, or else the complaint would be resolved without her comment.
Still, on May 30, 2011,24 the Court directed the Director of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) to locate the whereabouts of Catena and to submit a report thereon within 10 days from notice.
On August 9, 2011, NBI Director Magtanggol Gatdula, citing and quoting the foregoing report of HA Bautista, submitted his compliance with the resolution of May 30, 2011,26 praying that the compliance be accepted.
The findings and recommendation of the OCA, being based on established facts, are well-taken, but we modify the recommended sanction in view of Catena’s intervening resignation from the service effective on January 2, 2003.
Let it be said at the outset that Catena’s resignation from the service did not cause the Court to lose its jurisdiction to proceed against her in this administrative case. Her cessation from office by virtue of her intervening resignation did not warrant the dismissal of the administrative complaint against her, for the act complained of had been committed when she was still in the service. Nor did such cessation from office render the administrative case moot and academic. Indeed, the Court’s jurisdiction at the time of the filing of the administrative complaint was not lost because the respondent had ceased in office during the pendency of the case.29 Otherwise, exacting responsibility for administrative liabilities incurred would be easily avoided or evaded.
Attempting to disprove the charge that she did not take the eligibility examination herself, Catena submitted her approved leave application and her daily time records corresponding to the period of the eligibility examination. Her submission was really not enough, however, because said documents did not establish that she had herself taken the examination, or that she had been personally at the testing site on the date of the examination. At best, the approved leave application attested only that she had applied for a leave of absence from work, and that her application had been approved, while her daily time records affirmed only that she did not report to her office on the dates that she had supposedly gone on leave.
Perhaps anticipating that her submission of the daily time records and approved leave application would not suffice to support her explanation, she stated in her request for the 30-day extension to file the comment that she would be needing the time to gather the documents she would submit as her evidence to disprove the charge of gross dishonesty,31 specifically: (1) a certification from the head office of the Negros Navigation Company in Manila, to show that she had travelled from Puerto Princesa City to Iloilo City, and from Cebu City to Leyte on the date of the examination; (2) affidavits of residents of Leyte attesting to her being in the locality of the examination and to her taking the examination herself; (3) records on file with the CSC office in Leyte; and (4) other evidence of similar nature. But ultimately she did not come forward with the promised documentary evidence, notwithstanding her awareness of the desire of the Court to hear her side.
A finding of dishonesty against an employee in the Civil Service carries with it the penalty of dismissal. Under Rule IV Section 52 (A) (1) of the Revised Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service Rules (Revised Uniform Rules), dishonesty is classified as a grave offense that is already punishable by dismissal from the service even at the first offense.
Section 57. Administrative Disabilities/Accessories to Administrative Penalties.
Disqualification for reinstatement or reemployment.
Section 58. Administrative Disabilities Inherent in Certain Penalties.
a. The penalty of dismissal shall carry with it that of cancellation of eligibility, forfeiture of retirement benefits, and the perpetual disqualification for reemployment in the government service, unless otherwise provided in the decision.
b. The penalty of transfer shall carry with it disqualification for promotion for a period of six (6) months from the date of respondent reports to the new position or station.
c. The penalty of demotion shall carry with it disqualification for promotion at the rate of two (2) months for every step or one (1) month for every range of salary by which he was demoted to be computed from the date respondent reports to the new position or station.
d. The penalty of suspension shall carry with it disqualification for promotion corresponding to the period of suspension.
e. The penalty of fine shall carry with it disqualification for promotion for a period of twice the number of days he was fined.
f. The penalty of fine shall be paid to the agency imposing the same, computed on the basis of respondent’s salary at the time the decision becomes final and executor.
In Civil Service Commission v. Macud,35 the penalty of dismissal was prescribed with the accessory penalties against respondent who had been found guilty of making a false declaration in her PDS that she had passed the Professional Board Examination for Teachers. In Cruz v. Civil Service Commission36 and Civil Service Commission v. Sta. Ana,37 the employees found guilty of similar offenses were dismissed. In Cruz, Zenaida Paitim had masqueraded as Gilda Cruz, and had taken the Civil Service examination in lieu of Cruz. Both Paitim and Cruz were meted the penalty of dismissal from the service. In Sta. Ana, another person had taken the Civil Service examination for Sta. Ana, who was held guilty of dishonesty and dismissed from the service.
Section 56 (e) of Rule IV of the Revised Uniform Rules provides that the penalty of fine shall be in an amount not exceeding the salary for six months had respondent not resigned, the rate for which is that obtaining upon at the time of her resignation.
Finally, even though her penalty is a fine, she should still suffer the accessory penalty of perpetual disqualification from re-employment in the Government that the penalty of dismissal carried. A contrary holding would have the undesirable effect of giving the erring employee the means to avoid the accessory penalty by the simple expedient of resigning.
WHEREFORE, the Court FINDS and DECLARES NONITA V. CATENA, former Court Stenographer III, Branch 50, Regional Trial Court in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan, GUILTY of GROSS DISHONESTY; and ORDERS her to pay a FINE equivalent to her salary for six months computed at the salary rate for her former position at the time of her resignation, with prejudice to her re-employment in any branch of the Government, including government-owned or -controlled corporations.
In the event that her leave credits are insufficient to answer for the fine, NONITA V. CATENA shall pay the fine to the Court within 10 days from the date of finality of this decision.
Sereno, C.J. Carpio, Velasco, Jr., Leonardo-De Castro, Peralta, Del Castillo, Abad, Villarama, Jr., Mendoza, Reyes, Perlas-Bernabe, and Leonen, JJ., concur.
Perez, J., no part. acted on matter as Court Adm.
41Tan v. Quitorio, A.M. No. P-11-2919, May 30, 2011, 649 SCRA 12, 25.

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