Garcia vs. Molina Case Digest

Winston F. Garcia vs. Mario I. Molina

G.R. No. 165223. January 11, 2016

Doctrines:

The fact that the charge against the respondent was subsequently declared to lack factual and legal bases did not, ipso facto, render the preventive suspension without legal basis.

Gloria vs. CA has clarified that the preventive suspension of civil service employees charged with dishonesty, oppression or grave misconduct, or neglect of duty is authorized by the Civil Service Law, and cannot be considered unjustified even if the charges are ultimately dismissed so as to justify the payment of salaries to the employee concerned.

Facts:

For review is the decision promulgated on April 29, 2004, whereby the Court of Appeals (CA) nullified the Memorandum dated September 8, 2003 by which the petitioner, in his capacity as the President of the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), had charged the respondent, an Attorney V in the Litigation Department of the Legal Service Group of the GSIS, with grave misconduct and preventively suspended him for 60 days.

In his affidavit, Elino F. Caretero pointed to the respondent as the person who had handed to him on August 26, 2003 the letter entitled Is It True supposedly written by one R. Ibasco containing "scurrilous and libellous statements" against petitioner. Considering that Ibasco denied authorship of the letter, the finger of suspicion came to point at the respondent, who was consequently administratively investigated for grave misconduct. After the investigation, the Investigation Unit transmitted its Memorandum dated September 1, 2003 to the respondent to require him to explain the circulation and publication of the letter, and to show cause why no administrative sanction should be imposed on him for doing so. In response, he denied the imputed act.

Thereafter, the petitioner issued Memorandum dated September 8, 2003 to formally charge the respondent with grave misconduct, and to preventively suspend him for 60 days effective upon receipt.

The respondent sought the dismissal of the charge on the ground of its being baseless; and requested the conduct of a formal investigation by an impartial body. The respondent also instituted in the CA a special civil action for certiorari to challenge the legality of the Memorandum dated September 8, 2003.

On April 29, 2004, the CA promulgated its assailed decision annulling the petitioner's Memorandum dated September 8, 2003.

Hence, this appeal by petition for review on certiorari.

The petitioner argues that it was in his power as the President and General Manager of the GSIS to impose disciplinary action on the respondent, pursuant to Section 47 of the Administrative Code of 1987; that the characterization of the respondent's act as grave misconduct was not arbitrary because the latter had intentionally passed on or caused the circulation of the malicious letter, thereby transgressing "some established and definite rule of action" that sufficiently established a prima facie case for an administrative charge; that the respondent had thereby violated his solemn duty to defend and assist the petitioner in disregard of his "legal, moral or social duty" to stop or at discourage the publication or circulation of the letter. He submits that the respondent's preventive suspension was done in accordance with the Civil Service Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases, and upon an evaluation of the evidence on record.

Issues:

1. Whether the petitioner Garcia, in the exercise of his authority, had sufficient basis to formally charge the respondent with grave misconduct and impose preventive suspension as a consequence.
2. Whether the doctrine of exhaustion of administrative remedy (DEAR) is applicable.

Rulings:

1. To resolve this issue, we need to ascertain if the respondent's act of handing over the letter to Caretero constituted grave misconduct. The CA concluded that the act of the respondent of handing over the letter to Caretero did not constitute grave misconduct because the act did not show or indicate the elements of corruption, or the clear intent to violate the law, or flagrant disregard of established rule.

The Court concurs with the CA.

Misconduct in office, by uniform legal definition, is such misconduct that affects his performance of his duties as an officer and not such only as affects his character as a private individual. To warrant removal from office, it must have direct relation to and be connected with the performance of official duties amounting either to maladministration or willful, intentional neglect and failure to discharge the duties of the office. Moreover, it is “a transgression of some established and definite rule of action, more particularly, unlawful behavior or gross negligence by a public officer.” It becomes grave if it “involves any of the additional elements of corruption, willful intent to violate the law or to disregard established rules, which must be established by substantial evidence.”

The record contains nothing to show that the respondent's act constituted misconduct. The passing of the letter to Caretero did not equate to any "transgression" or "unlawful behavior," for it was an innocuous act that did not breach any standard, norm or rule pertinent to his office. Neither could it be regarded as "circulation" of the letter inasmuch as the letter was handed only to a single individual who just happened to be curious about the paper the respondent was then holding in his hands. The handing of the letter occurred in ostensibly innocent circumstances on board the elevator in which other employees or passengers were on board. If the motive of the respondent was to pass the letter in order to publicize its contents, he should have made more copies of the letter. But that was not so, considering that Caretero categorically affirmed in his affidavit about asking the respondent what he had wanted to do with the letter, to wit: Do you want me to photocopy the document Sir?, but the respondent had simply replied: HINDI NA SA IYO NA LANG YAN. It is plain, then, that intent to cause the widespread dissemination of the letter in order to libel the petitioner could not be justifiably inferred.

To be sure, the respondent's act could not be classified as pertaining to or having a direct connection to the performance of his official duties as a litigation lawyer of the GSIS. The connection was essential to a finding of misconduct, for without the connection the conduct would not be sanctioned as an administrative offense.

The fact that the charge against the respondent was subsequently declared to lack factual and legal bases did not, ipso facto, render the preventive suspension without legal basis. The formal charge against the respondent was for grave misconduct, an administrative offense that justifies the imposition of the preventive suspension of the respondent. Gloria has clarified that the preventive suspension of civil service employees charged with dishonesty, oppression or grave misconduct, or neglect of duty is authorized by the Civil Service Law, and cannot be considered unjustified even if the charges are ultimately dismissed so as to justify the payment of salaries to the employee concerned. Considering that the respondent's preventive suspension had legal basis, he was not entitled to backwages.

2. Anent the petitioner's insistence that the respondent did not exhaust his administrative remedies, Section 21 of the Uniform Rules on Administrative Cases in the Civil Service provides the option either of filing a motion for reconsideration against the preventive suspension order by the disciplining authority, or of elevating the preventive suspension order by appeal to the Civil Service Commission within 15 days from the receipt thereof.

We find and hold that the respondent was not strictly bound by the rule on exhaustion of administrative remedies. His failure to file the motion for reconsideration did not justify the immediate dismissal of the petition for certiorari, for we have recognized certain exceptional circumstances that excused his non-filing of the motion for reconsideration. Among the exceptional circumstances are the following, namely: when the issue involved is purely a legal question.

Considering that the matter brought to the CA - whether the act complained against justified the filing of the formal charge for grave misconduct and the imposition of preventive suspension pending investigation — was a purely legal question due to the factual antecedents of the case not being in dispute. Hence, the respondent had no need to exhaust the available administrative remedy of filing the motion for reconsideration.

WHEREFORE, the Court PARTIALLY GRANTS the petition for review on certiorari; AFFIRMS the assailed decision promulgated on April 29, 2004 and the resolution promulgated on September 6, 2004 insofar as the Court of Appeals dismissed the formal charge for grave misconduct against respondent Mario I. Molina, but REVERSES and SETS ASIDE the decision and the resolution insofar as they nullified the respondent's preventive suspension and awarded backwages to him corresponding to the period of his preventive suspension; and MAKES NO PRONOUNCEMENT on costs of suit.