SC suspends Samar judge for dishonesty

MANILA, Philippines —   For not disclosing a terrorism financing case he faced years ago, an act viewed as serious dishonesty, the Supreme Court (SC) suspended a judge of a regional trial court (RTC) in Catbalogan City for six months.

The decision was dated Dec. 3, 2025 but was posted on the SC website only on Feb. 23.

In the post, the full SC found Catbalogan City RTC Branch 29 Judge Alfonso Cinco IV guilty of serious dishonesty for not disclosing that he was facing a complaint for violation of Republic Act 10168 or The Terrorism Financing Prevention Act of 2012 during his application for the post.

Cinco, who served as an assistant provincial prosecutor and city prosecutor, applied to become a judge in January 2023. He was appointed to the post in August 2024.

In May 2023, he was among several people the Philippine Army Joint Task Force Cebu charged for terrorism financing for allegedly funding the South-Eastern Front of the New People’s Army.

Cinco was arrested and posted bail in May 2024, around three months before his appointment.

In his defense, Cinco “apologized for failing to disclose the filing of the criminal case against him.”

He claimed he was busy performing his duties as prosecutor at the time, and was “saddled with a slew of domestic problems” such as taking care of his widowed 81-year-old mother, the death of an aunt, hospitalization of his father-in-law and bullying of his teenage daughter in school.

Cinco said the Army’s complaint against him could be a case of “red-tagging” as he provided free legal services to the marginalized sector. 

In ruling on the case, the SC decided to impose a suspension instead of dismissal from service, as it considered his 10 years of work in the judiciary, his being a first-time offender, and the lack of malicious intent or deliberate concealment.