SC dismisses Butuan judge

MANILA, Philippines - For having hundreds of cases in his backlog, a Butuan City judge was recently dismissed by the Supreme Court (SC).

In a decision last April 10 but was released only this week, the SC approved the recommendation of the office of Court Administrator Jose Midas Marquez for the dismissal from the judicial service of Butuan City Municipal Trial Court in Cities Branch 2 Judge James Go.

“This Court has long maintained the policy of upholding competence and integrity in the administration of justice. Incompetence and inefficiency have no place in the judiciary,” the SC said.

Apart from dismissal, the SC also forfeited Go’s retirement benefits, except his accrued leave credits.

Go was also barred from being re-employed in any branch or agency of the government, including government-owned or controlled corporations.

Go was found to have failed to arraign the accused in 632 criminal cases, archive 140 criminal cases, act on summons issued in 477 criminal cases, act on 13 cases which had not been acted upon for a considerable length of time, resolve the pending incidents or motions in 15 criminal cases, act on 17 civil cases from the time of their filing, take further action on 32 civil cases, and resolve motions or incidents in 88 civil cases.

The audit team also found out that Go would always leave his sala in the morning after finishing all hearings set for the day and would return only the following day.

In his defense, Go said he needed to leave early every day to rest since he had suffered a stroke. He also insisted he was not required to render a full eight-hour service in his sala since he was a judge.

Last December, Marquez’s office was prompted to recommend Go’s dismissal after the judge repeatedly failed to comment and respond to show cause resolutions issued by the SC.

The local chapters of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines in Butuan City and Agusan del Norte, in October 2006, also expressed disappointment over Go’s “inefficiency and incompetence.”