SC junks administrative raps vs CA justices over Antique officials' suspension reversal

The Supreme Court has junked an administrative case against seven Court of Appeals (CA) justices who reversed the suspension of local officials in Antique. In a resolution dated December 3, 2025, but disclosed only on Friday, the high court’s en banc dismissed the administrative complaint filed in March last year by then Ombudsman Samuel Martires against the CA justices. The dismissal was based on "lack of merit" and for being "judicial in nature." The complaint was related to the appellate court's reversal of a ruling that temporarily suspended Mayor Ernesto Tanjanlangit III of Tobias Fornier town and other board members of Antique. The justices named in the complaint were Louis Acosta, Rex Bernando Pascual, Mary Charlene Hernandez-Azura, Roberto Quiroz, Ferdinand Baylon, Marlene Gonzales-Sison, and Rafael Santos. Gonzales-Sison and Santos have since retired. Ombudsman Jesus Crispin Remulla, Martires' successor, brought up the case last week when he complained about pending disciplinary cases of erring members in the judiciary. He cited the case of the seven CA justices, noting the lack of public record on whether the Supreme Court had resolved it. This Supreme Court decision highlights crucial issues within the Philippine judicial system concerning judicial independence and the boundaries of intervention by administrative bodies into judicial decisions. While cases involving political pressure or interference from administrative agencies into judicial rulings have surfaced before, this instance is notable for the swift dismissal by the Supreme Court of a case initiated by the Ombudsman, an independent oversight body, against judicial rulings.