Zamboanga del norte: The Supreme Court (SC) En Banc has ordered the dismissal and disbarment of Judge Oscar Tomarong, Presiding Judge of Branch 28, Regional Trial Court (RTC), Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte, for the murder of a fellow judge. The SC issued the ruling following disciplinary proceedings initiated by the Judicial Integrity Board (JIB) after Tomarong's conviction for planning the 2019 killing of Judge Reymar Lacaya, then Presiding Judge of Branch 11, RTC, Sindangan, Zamboanga del Norte.

According to Philippines News Agency, in a 16-page decision made public on Tuesday, the SC dismissed Tomarong from office, ordered the forfeiture of his retirement benefits, disbarred him from practicing law, and disqualified him from reemployment in the government. In 2019, the SC reassigned the two judges to each other's court branches. Shortly after Lacaya finished court hearings in Branch 28 one afternoon, he was gunned down behind the court building.

During the criminal trial, Juliber Cabating testified that Tomarong instructed him to look for hired killers to murder Lacaya. Cabating said Tomarong paid the killers PHP250,000 through him. Another witness confirmed being with the hired killers in the morning before the murder, and an eyewitness also saw and identified the killers fleeing from the court building shortly after the shooting.

The SC described Tomarong's actions as among 'the gravest violations of judicial duty.' 'The crime involved is a patent breach of the very essence of what it means to be a judge who carries the obligation and privilege of serving the people. At a time when the rise in the attacks against judges has even necessitated the adoption of measures to protect judges, a judge committing the murder of a fellow judge must be punished swiftly and severely,' the SC said.

Although Judge Tomarong's criminal conviction is still on appeal, the SC ruled that a final conviction is not required to impose administrative penalties. The SC underscored that no one is above the law, including members of the Judiciary. It emphasized that public trust in the justice system is undermined when judges violate the very laws they are sworn to uphold.

'[N]o one, not even members of the Bench, is above the law. Judges are the embodiment of law and justice. 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. 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 said.

The SC reminded all courts of their obligation to promptly report any convictions of judges and court personnel to the JIB, now known as the Judicial Integrity Office, in line with the Rules of Court.