Source: http://lawlibrary.chanrobles.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=82366:56280&catid=1575&Itemid=566
Timestamp: 2019-04-19 11:17:43+00:00

Document:
A.C. No. 9532, October 08, 2013 - MARIA CRISTINA ZABALJAUREGUI PITCHER, Complainant, v. ATTY. RUSTICO B. GAGATE, Respondent.
MARIA CRISTINA ZABALJAUREGUI PITCHER, Complainant, v. ATTY. RUSTICO B. GAGATE, Respondent.
For the Court's resolution is an administrative complaint1 filed by Maria Cristina Zabaljauregui Pitcher (complainant) against Atty. Rustico B. Gagate (respondent), charging him for gross ignorance of the law and unethical practice of law.
On November 18, 2004, the Prosecutor’s Office issued a Resolution17 dated October 13, 2004, finding probable cause to charge complainant and respondent for grave coercion. The corresponding Information was filed before the Metropolitan Trial Court of Makati City, Branch 63, docketed as Criminal Case No. 337985 (grave coercion case), and, as a matter of course, warrants of arrest were issued against them.18 Due to the foregoing, respondent advised complainant to go into hiding until he had filed the necessary motions in court. Eventually, however, respondent abandoned the grave coercion case and stopped communicating with complainant.19 Failing to reach respondent despite diligent efforts,20 complainant filed the instant administrative case before the Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) - Commission on Bar Discipline (CBD), docketed as CBD Case No. 06-1689.
After a careful perusal of the records, the Court concurs with and adopts the findings and conclusions of the OBC.
CANON 19 – A lawyer shall represent his client with zeal within the bounds of the law.
Rule 19.01 – A lawyer shall employ only fair and honest means to attain the lawful objectives of his client and shall not present, participate in presenting or threaten to present unfounded criminal charges to obtain an improper advantage in any case or proceeding.
Keeping with the foregoing rules, the Court finds that respondent failed to exercise the required diligence in handling complainant’s cause since he: first, failed to represent her competently and diligently by acting and proffering professional advice beyond the proper bounds of law; and, second, abandoned his client’s cause while the grave coercion case against them was pending.
Anent the first infraction, it bears emphasis that complainant's right over the properties of her deceased husband, David, has yet to be sufficiently established. As such, the high-handed action taken by respondent to enforce complainant's claim of ownership over the latter’s interest in Consulting Edge – i.e., causing the change of the office door lock which thereby prevented the free ingress and egress of the employees of the said company – was highly improper. Verily, a person cannot take the law into his own hands, regardless of the merits of his theory. In the same light, respondent's act of advising complainant to go into hiding in order to evade arrest in the criminal case can hardly be maintained as proper legal advice since the same constitutes transgression of the ordinary processes of law. By virtue of the foregoing, respondent clearly violated his duty to his client to use peaceful and lawful methods in seeking justice,40 in violation of Rule 19.01, Canon 19 of the Code as above-quoted. To note further, since such courses of action were not only improper but also erroneous, respondent equally failed to serve his client with competence and diligence in violation of Canon 18 of the Code. In the same regard, he also remained unmindful of his client’s trust in him – in particular, her trust that respondent would only provide her with the proper legal advice in pursuing her interests – thereby violating Canon 17 of the Code.
With respect to the second infraction, records definitively bear out that respondent completely abandoned complainant during the pendency of the grave coercion case against them; this notwithstanding petitioner’s efforts to reach him as well as his purported receipt of the P150,000.00 acceptance fee. It is hornbook principle that a lawyer’s duty of competence and diligence includes not merely reviewing the cases entrusted to his care or giving sound legal advice, but also consists of properly representing the client before any court or tribunal, attending scheduled hearings or conferences, preparing and filing the required pleadings, prosecuting the handled cases with reasonable dispatch, and urging their termination even without prodding from the client or the court.41 Hence, considering respondent’s gross and inexcusable neglect by leaving his client totally unrepresented in a criminal case, it cannot be doubted that he violated Canon 17, Rule 18.03 of Canon 18, and Rule 19.01 of Canon 19 of the Code.
In addition, it must be pointed out that respondent failed to file his answer to the complaint despite due notice. This demonstrates not only his lack of responsibility but also his lack of interest in clearing his name, which, as case law directs, is constitutive of an implied admission of the charges leveled against him.42 In fine, respondent should be held administratively liable for his infractions as herein discussed. That said, the Court now proceeds to determine the appropriate penalty to be imposed against respondent.
Several cases show that lawyers who have been held liable for gross negligence for infractions similar to those committed of respondent were suspended from the practice of law for a period of two years. In Jinon v. Jiz,43 a lawyer who neglected his client's case, misappropriated the client's funds and disobeyed the IBP’s directives to submit his pleadings and attend the hearings was suspended from the practice of law for two years. In Small v. Banares,44 the Court meted a similar penalty against a lawyer who failed to render any legal service even after receiving money from the complainant; to return the money and documents he received despite demand; to update his client on the status of her case and respond to her requests for information; and to file an answer and attend the mandatory conference before the IBP. Also, in Villanueva v. Gonzales,45 a lawyer who neglected complainant’s cause; refused to immediately account for his client’s money and to return the documents received; failed to update his client on the status of her case and to respond to her requests for information; and failed to submit his answer and to attend the mandatory conference before the IBP was suspended from the practice of law for two years. However, the Court observes that, in the present case, complainant was subjected to a graver injury as she was prosecuted for the crime of grave coercion largely due to the improper and erroneous advice of respondent. Were it not for respondent’s imprudent counseling, not to mention his act of abandoning his client during the proceedings, complainant would not have unduly suffered the harbors of a criminal prosecution. Thus, considering the superior degree of the prejudice caused to complainant, the Court finds it apt to impose against respondent a higher penalty of suspension from the practice of law for a period of three years as recommended by the OBC.
WHEREFORE, respondent Atty. Rustico B. Gagate is found guilty Gfviolating Canon 17, Rule 18.03 of Canon 18, and Rule 19.01 of Canon 19 of the Code of Professional Responsibility. Accordingly, he is hereby SUSPENDED from the practice of law for a period of three (3) years, effective upon the finality of this Decision, with a stem warning that a repetition of the same or similar acts will be dealt with more severely.
Further, respondent is ORDERED to return to complainant Maria Cristina Zabaljauregui Pitcher the P150,000.00 acceptance fee he received from the latter within ninety (90) days from the finality of this Decision. Failure to comply with the foregoing directive will warrant the imposition of a more severe penalty.
Let a copy of this Decision be furnished the Office of the Bar Confidant, the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, and the Office of the Court Administrator for circulation to all the courts.
Sereno, C.J., Carpio, Velasco, Jr., Leonardo-De Castro, Brion, Peralta, Bersamin, Del Castillo, Abad, Perez, Mendoza, and Leonen, JJ., concur.
Reyes, J., no part - had been my associate.
47 The assertion that the P150,000.00 acceptance fee was received by respondent - as evidence by a receipt signed by respondent (attached as Annex "C" to the complaint; rollo, p. 12) - remains undisputed in view of respondent's default during the administrative proceedings a quo (see Order dated February 2, 2007; id. at 98) as well as his failure to file any other pleading in his defense despite due notice (see id. at 151). To further note, the said receipt was duly submitted to the IBP during the February 2, 2007 mandatory conference (id. at 61-64). However, records do not show that complainant's allegation with respect to her payment of appearance fees to respondent at the rate of P1,000.00 per hearing (see complainant, id. at 3) was duly substantiated; perforce, the return of the same cannot be made by the Court.

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