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Office of the Court Administrator vs. Augusto Sumilang, et al.

OFFICE OF THE COURT ADMINISTRATOR, complainant vs. JUDGE AUGUSTO SUMILANG, INTERPRETER FELICIDAD MALLA, STENO-REPORTER EDELITA LAGMAY and STENO-REPORTER NIEVA MERCADO, respondents.

A.M. No. MTJ-94-989 | 1997-04-18

D E C I S I O N


ROMERO, J.:

With reluctance, the Court once again has to wield its power of imposing disciplinary measures on members of the Bench and employees of the judiciary for failure to live up to the obligations incident to their status as officers of the Court.

Respondents Judge Augusto Sumilang, Felicidad Malla, Edelita Lagmay and Nieva Mercado, court employees of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Pila, Laguna (hereinafter referred to as the lower court), were charged in a memorandum report by the Office of Court Administrator dated August 16,1994, 1 for misappropriating funds deposited by the plaintiff in Civil Case No. 858,...