SC dismisses Zamboanga judge

THE Supreme Court (SC) en banc has formally dismissed and disbarred a former presiding judge in a regional trial court branch in Zamboanga del Norte, following findings that he orchestrated the murder of a fellow judge.

In a 16-page ruling made public on Tuesday, the high court upheld the Judicial Integrity Board’s recommendation that Judge Oscar D. Tomarong be held administratively liable for committing a crime involving moral turpitude.

“The commission of a crime by a judge against a fellow judge represents one of the gravest breaches of judicial duty,” the SC said in a per curiam ruling.

The case stemmed from Mr. Tomarong’s criminal conviction for planning the 2019 killing of Judge Reymar L. Lacaya, who was shot dead shortly after court hearings at his court branch. Testimony during the criminal trial showed that Mr. Tomarong hired killers and paid them P250,000 through an aide.

While his criminal conviction remains under appeal, the SC ruled that administrative penalties require only substantial evidence and found sufficient proof that Mr. Tomarong orchestrated the murder.

“The Judiciary’s task of maintaining the people’s trust is undermined whenever judges neglect their duties, and worse, violate the laws that they are supposed to uphold,” the SC said. “This case is the Court’s proof of its commitment to the public that no judge who so callously breaches the law and perpetrates an injustice will go unpunished,” it added.

The SC ordered Mr. Tomarong dismissed from service, disbarred, barred from government reemployment, and stripped of retirement benefits, following his 2022 criminal conviction for murder and sentence of reclusion perpetua. — Erika Mae P. Sinaking