Judge disbarred for sexually harassing fellow judge

MANILA, Philippines – A Pasay City judge was ordered disbarred by the Supreme Court (SC) for sexually harassing another judge and for not taking night court duty.

The SC, in a 22-page resolution made public on Friday, March 31, denied the motion for reconsideration filed by Pasay Metropolitan Trial Court (MTC) Branch 47 Judge Eliza Yu. She was hoping the SC would reverse its November 2016 decision to dismiss her from service.

But the SC went a step further, ordering her removal from the Roll of Attorneys.

Yu had been found guilty of violating Canon 1 and Canon 11 of the Code of Professional Responsibility for lawyers.

Canon 1 requires lawyers to uphold the Constitution and to obey the laws of the land. The judge refused to comply with SC Administrative Order 19-2011, which created night courts.

She also violated Canon 11, which demands that lawyers maintain respect to courts and judicial officers. Yu was found to have sent inappropriate messages with sexual undertones via Facebook and email to a fellow judge.

“Given her wanton defiance of the Court’s own directives, her open disrespect to her fellow judges, her blatant abuse of the powers appurtenant to her judicial office, and her perchant for threatening the defenseless with legal actions to make them submit to her will, we should also be imposing the penalty of disbarment,” said the High Court in its decision.

The SC said that while Yu was still a public prosecutor in 2009 when she started messaging her fellow judge, she could still be disciplined for it because she continued to stalk her fellow judge after she was appointed Pasay MTC judge in 2010.

She had also refused to follow and even questioned her participation in night courts. Night courts were created in 2011, following a request from tourism authorities in the cities of Pasay and Makati. They were created to swiftly handle cases involving nighttime apprehensions, special cases under the rule on summary procedure, and criminal cases against tourists.

As a result of Yu’s refusal to take on night court duty, the Pasay executive judge was forced to assign additional night court duties to other MTC judges.

The SC junked with finality Yu’s motion for reconsideration on the dismissal order. It also rejected her answers to the earlier show cause order over the disbarment case.

Yu was found guilty of gross insubordination, gross ignorance of the law, gross misconduct, grave abuse of authority, oppression, and conduct unbecoming of a judicial official. 

The disbarment is immediately executory. – Rappler.com