SC dismisses Pasig judge in Delfin Lee case

MANILA, Philippines – The Supreme Court (SC) has ordered the dismissal of a Pasig regional trial court judge for issuing orders favoring detained Globe Asiatique president Delfin Lee in cases involving anomalous housing projects in Pampanga.

In a unanimous decision yesterday, the high court found Branch 167 Judge Rolando Mislang guilty of gross ignorance of the law and ordered his retirement benefits forfeited and barred him from government service.

The Department of Justice and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) filed administrative charges against Mislang in connection with a temporary restraining order he issued that prevented the DOJ from investigating syndicated estafa and economic sabotage cases against Lee and several others allegedly involved in the P6.6-billion housing scam.

The SC adopted the findings and recommendations of the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA), which investigated the complaints and found that Mislang issued a writ of preliminary injunction and a status quo orders that failed to satisfy the legal requisite for their issuance.

“His persistent disregard of well-known elementary rules in favor of Lee clearly reflects his bad faith and partiality,” the OCA said.

The SC ordered Mislang’s dismissal from the service considering a similar serious infraction in the past and several other administrative cases filed against him since 2007.

The high court said it has already found Mislang guilty of gross ignorance of the law and ordered him to pay P20,000. He was also previously suspended by the SC for six months without pay after finding him guilty of the same offense.