Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&amp;view=article&amp;id=51668:gr-167711-2008&amp;catid=1510&amp;Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-26 04:21:15+00:00

Document:
THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN, Petitioner, v. RAMON C. GALICIA, Respondent.
GENERALLY, the Ombudsman must yield to the Division School Superintendent in the investigation of administrative charges against public school teachers.
The rule and the exception are at focus in this Petition for Review on Certiorari of the Decision1 of the Court of Appeals (CA) divesting the Ombudsman of jurisdiction.
Respondent Ramon C. Galicia was a former public school teacher at M.B. Asistio, Sr. High School (MBASHS) in Caloocan City. Based on the academic records that he submitted forming part of his 201 file, Galicia graduated from the Far Eastern University with a degree in civil engineering but failed to pass the board examinations. He also represented himself to have earned eighteen (18) units in education in school year (SY) 1985-1986, evidenced by a copy of a Transcript of Records (TOR) from the Caloocan City Polytechnic College (CCPC). Likewise, he passed the Teachers' Professional Board Examination (TPBE) given on November 22, 1987.
Subsequently, on December 2001, Reynaldo V. Yamsuan, then Principal of the MBASHS, reviewed the 201 files of his teaching staff. He took note that the TOR submitted by Galicia was not an original copy, but only stamped with "verified correct from the original" signed by Administrative Officer Rogelio Mallari. Pursuant to a Division Memorandum, Yamsuan required Galicia and other teachers with similar records, to secure authenticated copies of the TOR that they submitted. All of the teachers who were given the said instruction complied, with the exception of Galicia.
This has reference to the herein attached photocopy of Transcript of Records of MR. RAMON C. GALICIA which you forwarded in our office for authentication dated November 29, 2002.
In his Counter-Affidavit,5 Galicia contended that the complaint was malicious and motivated by revenge. Yamsuan had an axe to grind against him. Earlier, he filed a falsification case against Yamsuan. The two likewise clashed on account of Galicia's chairmanship of the teachers' cooperative.
Galicia stressed that the TOR he submitted was authentic, as shown by the signature of then College Registrar Rolando Labrador. He argued that the certification from the present college registrar that CCPC had no record of his TOR did not prove that the document was spurious. Rather, it only proved that CCPC's filing system of scholastic records was disorganized. This, according to Galicia, explained why the school's copy of the TOR could not be found. Moreover, Galicia argued that the TPBE was a highly specialized type of exam that could only be passed if the examinee acquired academic units in education. If he did not take up the said eighteen (18) units in education, then he could not have possibly passed the TPBE which he took on November 22, 1987.
In the preliminary conference of the case held on September 10, 2002, the respondent, together with his counsel presented for comparison the original copies of the following documents: (1) transcript of records (FEU for Civil Engineering), (2) transcript of records, Caloocan City Polytechnic College of the 18 units subject signed by the then Registrar Rolando Labrador; (3) Certification of grades also signed by then Registrar Rolando Labrador; and (4) PBET (teachers board examination grade 73.75% issued by the Civil Service).
It is therefore clear that the pieces of evidence on record tend to establish the fact that the Official Transcript of Records submitted by the respondent is spurious, owing to the fact that he does not have any record of having attended and/or obtained the eighteen (18) units of teaching education subjects.
According to Galicia, all of the above conditions were present in the case filed against him. An adequate remedy existed in the Office of the Secretary of Education; the matter was outside the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman; the complaint was made in bad faith; and complainant Yamsuan had no sufficient personal interest in the matter.
The Ombudsman denied Galicia's motion for reconsideration.15 It declared that the Ombudsman's disciplining authority extended over all illegal, unjust, and improper acts of public officials or employees, as expressly provided by the 1987 Constitution and the Ombudsman Act.
Even granting that R.A. No. 467016 gave the School Superintendent jurisdiction over administrative cases against public school teachers like Galicia, it did not operate to oust the Ombudsman from its disciplining authority over public employees. There was, in fact, as argued by the Ombudsman, concurrent jurisdiction between the two.
Galicia elevated the case to the CA.
The CA, however, did not hinge its decision solely on the question of jurisdiction. It upheld the arguments of Galicia and, consequently, overturned the findings of fact during the investigation proceedings. Contrary to the ruling of the Ombudsman, the CA ruled that the school's lack of certification did not establish that the TOR was fabricated or spurious. It was possible that the records were only missing. The "verified correct from the original" notations in the photocopied TOR and COG prove that the documents were, indeed, authentic.
WITH DUE RESPECT, THE HONORABLE COURT OF APPEALS ERRED IN NULLIFYING THE DECISION OF THE OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN ON ALLEGED JURISDICTIONAL INFIRMITY.
At the center of the present controversy is the authority granted to the Ombudsman over administrative cases against public school teachers. Before We proceed to discuss the merits of the petition, We shall first review the authority granted to the Ombudsman under existing laws.
Under Section 13, Article XI, the Ombudsman is empowered to conduct investigations on its own or upon complaint by any person when such act appears to be illegal, unjust, improper, or inefficient. He is also given broad powers to take the appropriate disciplinary actions against erring public officials and employees.
In Deloso v. Domingo,21 the Court declared that the clause "illegal act or omission of any public official" encompasses any crime committed by a public official or employee. Its reach is so vast that there is no requirement that the act or omission be related to or be connected with the performance of official duty. The rationale for this grant of vast authority is to insulate the Ombudsman from the corrupt influences of interested persons who are able to sway decisions in their favor, and thus thwart the efforts to prosecute offenses committed while in office and to penalize erring employees and officials.
A review of the Ombudsman Act and the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers reveals an apparent overlapping of jurisdiction over administrative cases against public school teachers.
SEC. 9. Administrative Charges. - Administrative charges against a teacher shall be heard initially by a committee composed of the corresponding School Superintendent of the Division or a duly authorized representative who should at least have the rank of a division supervisor, where the teacher belongs, as chairman, a representative of the local or, in its absence, any existing provincial or national teachers' organization and a supervisor of the Division, the last two to be designated by the Director of Public Schools. The committee shall submit its findings and recommendations to the Director of Public Schools within thirty days from the termination of the hearings: Provided, however, That where the school superintendent is the complainant or an interested party, all the members of the committee shall be appointed by the Secretary of Education.
Galicia argues that jurisdiction exclusively belongs to the investigating committee on the main thesis that the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers is a special law which should take precedence over the Ombudsman Act, a general law. The Ombudsman maintains that jurisdiction among the two bodies is concurrent since there is no express repeal in either of the laws that would oust the Ombudsman from its authority over public school teachers.
Be that as it may, We hold here that the Ombudsman's exercise of jurisdiction was proper.
The CA was in error in relying on Alcala, without taking into consideration the case's full import. In Alcala, the Court, while recognizing the jurisdiction of the School Superintendent, nonetheless upheld the decision of the Ombudsman on the rationale that the parties were afforded their right to due process during the investigation proceedings. Respondent in the Alcala case was given sufficient opportunity to be heard and submit his defenses to the charges made against him. Thus, he is estopped from questioning the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman after an adverse decision was promulgated.
In the same manner, the recent Estandarte case recognized similar circumstances cited in Emin v. De Leon.31 In De Leon, it was found that the parties were afforded their right to due process when both fully participated in the proceedings before the Civil Service Commission (CSC). The Court ruled that while jurisdiction lies with the School Superintendent, respondent is estopped from attacking the proceedings before the CSC.
In the present case, records show that Galicia was given the right to due process in the investigation of the charges against him. He participated in the proceedings by making known his defenses in the pleadings that he submitted. It was only when a decision adverse to him was rendered did he question the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman.
Under the principles of estoppel and laches, We rule that it is now too late for Galicia to assail the administrative investigation conducted and the decision rendered against him.
In sum, We reiterate that it is the School Superintendent and not the Ombudsman that has jurisdiction over administrative cases against public school teachers. Yet, Galicia is estopped from belatedly assailing the jurisdiction of the Ombudsman. His right to due process was satisfied when he participated fully in the investigation proceedings. He was able to present evidence and arguments in his defense. The investigation conducted by the Ombudsman was therefore valid.
We now proceed to discuss the meat of the petition.
The Ombudsman found that the TOR submitted by Galicia as evidence that he took up eighteen (18) units of education in the CCPC is spurious. In arriving at this conclusion, the Ombudsman conducted investigation proceedings and examined the evidence presented by both parties. In essence, it was held that a TOR that is not authenticated by the school is not a valid document.
Records show that Galicia presented an original copy of the TOR and COG during the preliminary investigation conducted by the Ombudsman.39 He argues that these original copies are enough proof that his documents are authentic and the fact that the present registrar of the school did not certify his school records is not persuasive evidence to defeat his original documents.
The certification issued by the present College Registrar, Prof. Marilyn de Jesus of the Polytechnic College of Caloocan City attests merely to the fact that petitioner's transcript does not appear on their records. It is possible that the transcript of petitioner's was only misplaced and/or missing. Such certification, however, does not necessarily mean that petitioner fabricated his education records or that the one which he presented is spurious just so he could gain employment at the M.B. Asistio Sr. High School. Verily, the failure of Prof. Marilyn de Jesus to locate the transcript of records of petitioner should not be taken against the latter. Besides, as confirmed by the investigating officer in the administrative proceedings, petitioner presented the original of his transcript of records at the preliminary conference of the case on September 10, 2002.
We are mindful of Our decision in Lumancas v. Intas,41 where two government employees submitted TORs and Special Orders as proof of their educational attainment. Upon verification with the CHED, it was found that there were no records with the Department of Education that respondents were enrolled with the named school during the period. Consequently, the decision of the Ombudsman finding them guilty of falsification, dishonesty, and grave misconduct was upheld.
We find, however, that Lumancas is not applicable to this case. In Lumancas, it was the CHED which issued the negative certification, a public document of a government institution which enjoys the presumption of regularity.42 Here, what was presented to the Ombudsman was a certification not from the CHED but from a college, and that does not enjoy the same evidentiary value.
In administrative proceedings, the complainant has the burden of proving the allegations in the complaint.43 Absent substantial evidence to prove the falsity of the TOR presented by Galicia duly signed by the College Registrar at that time, We are constrained to uphold his innocence of the charges of falsification.
WHEREFORE, the petition is DENIED and the appealed Decision AFFIRMED.
* No part. Justice Nachura participated as Solicitor General in the instant case.
1 Rollo, pp. 36-46. Penned by Associate Justice Lucenito N. Tagle, with Associate Justices Martin S. Villarama, Jr. and Regalado E. Maambong, concurring.
11 Enacted on June 18, 1966.
12 Enacted on November 17, 1989.
13 Id.; Republic Act No. 6770, Sec. 20.
16 Or the Magna Carta for Public School Teachers.
17 Rollo, pp. 36-46. Penned by Associate Justice Lucenito N. Tagle, with Associate Justices Martin S. Villarama, Jr. and Regalado E. Maambong, concurring.
19 Alcala v. Villar, G.R. No. 156063, November 18, 2003, 416 SCRA 147.
21 G.R. No. 90591, November 21, 1990, 191 SCRA 545, 550.
23 Panlilio v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 92276, June 26, 1992, 210 SCRA 421; Cojuangco, Jr. v. Presidential Commission on Good Government, G.R. NOS. 92319-20, October 2, 1990, 190 SCRA 226.
24 Honasan II v. The Panel of Investigating Prosecutors of the DOJ, G.R. No. 159747, April 13, 2004, 427 SCRA 46.
25 Hagad v. Gozo-Dadole, G.R. No. 108072, December 12, 1995, 251 SCRA 242.
26 Ombudsman v. Lucero, G.R. No. 168718, November 24, 2006, 508 SCRA 106.
27 G.R. No. 168670, April 13, 2007, 521 SCRA 155.
28 Ombudsman v. Estandarte, id.
30 Alcala v. Villar, id. at 151-152.
31 G.R. No. 139794, February 27, 2002, 378 SCRA 143.
34 Pizza Hut/Progressive Development Corporation v. National Labor Relations Commission, G.R. No. 117059, January 29, 1996, 252 SCRA 531.
35 Concerned Officials of the MWSS v. Vasquez, G.R. No. 109113, January 25, 1995, 240 SCRA 502.
36 Olivarez v. Sandiganbayan, G.R. No. 118533, October 4, 1995, 248 SCRA 700.
37 Jao v. Court of Appeals, G.R. NOS. 104604 & 111223, October 6, 1995, 249 SCRA 35; Yabut v. Ombudsman, G.R. No. 111304, June 17, 1994, 233 SCRA 310.
38 See Olivarez v. Sandiganbayan, supra note 36; Gaw v. Intermediate Appellate Court, G.R. No. 70451, March 24, 1993, 220 SCRA 405.
41 400 Phil. 785 (2000).
42 See Rule 132, Sec 23. Public Documents as Evidence; Pan Pacific Industrial Sales Co., Inc. v. Court of Appeals, G.R. No. 125283, February 10, 2006, 482 SCRA 164.
43 Melchor v. Gironella, G.R. No. 151138, February 16, 2005, 451 SCRA 476.
44 Gomez v. Gomez-Samson, G.R. No. 156284, February 6, 2007, 514 SCRA 475.

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