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Judge Pedro B. Cabatingan Sr. vs Judge Celso A. Arcueno

Judge PEDRO B. CABATINGAN SR. (Ret.), complainant, vs. Judge CELSO A. ARCUENO, MCTC, Cataingan, Masbate, respondent.

A.M. No. MTJ-00-1323 | 2002-08-22

D E C I S I O N

PANGANIBAN, J.:

Ignorance of the law excuses no one -- certainly not a judge -- from compliance therewith. This is particularly true in cases where the law is so elementary that to be unaware of it or to ignore it constitutes gross ignorance, which is administratively sanctionable.

Statement of the Case

A sworn Administrative Complaint[1] filed by Judge Pedro B. Cabatingan Sr. (ret.) charges Judge Celso A. Arcueno of the Municipal Circuit Trial Court of Cataingan, Masbate, with gross ignorance of the law.

The Facts

The facts are summarized by the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) in its Memorandum[2] dated...