In gambling case, SC sets high moral levels

CEBU CITY—The bets were low, but the standards set by the Supreme Court (SC) for ethical behavior of employees of the judiciary are high, according to a ruling by the high court on the case of a Court of Appeals (CA) driver who was caught gambling in office.

Ronelo Labar, driver of the mailing and delivery section of the Court of Appeals in Cebu, was reprimanded for playing and betting on card games inside the premises of the court.

Labar was found gambling with other employees of the court and a non-employee, according to records of the case.

A complaint had been filed against Labar by Lucila Cad-Enjambre, who caught Labar in the act of gambling in the court premises on
Jan. 25, 2012.

In her complaint, Enjambre said she personally witnessed the offense being committed and saw P20 bills and coins, presumably bets, on the table that was being used by Labar and his co-gamblers.

Enjambre, in her complaint, said she issued a memorandum to Labar requiring the court driver to explain in writing the gambling incident.

Labar said he received a copy of the memorandum but forgot to respond to it.

During an investigation by the CA, Labar admitted he played card games with his friends but did so after his duty.

Labar apologized and promised not to do it again.

In the ruling on Labar’s case penned by Associate Justice Estela Perlas-Bernabe, the high court said high standards of ethical behavior are set for employees of the judiciary more than any other government worker.

“It bears to stress that no other office in the government service exacts a greater demand for moral righteousness and uprightness from an employee than the judiciary,” said the decision.

Aside from being found guilty of gambling in office, Labar was also found to have violated court rules through his mere presence inside the maintenance office of the court, where the gambling incident took place, at a time when he was not on duty.

The high court imposed the penalty of only reprimand on Labar since it was his first offense. The Office of the Court Administrator of the high court had recommended the penalty of suspension for a month.

Justice Bernabe, however, warned Labar against a repeat of the offense which would be met with a heavier penalty.

She said any act that ruins the image of the judiciary shall not be tolerated.

“The conduct and behavior of everyone connected with an office charged with the dispensation of justice, from the presiding judge to the lowliest clerk, must always be beyond reproach and must be circumscribed with the heavy burden of responsibility,” Bernabe said in the ruling, which was approved by Chief Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno and Associate Justices Teresita de Castro, Lucas Bersamin and Jose Perez.