SC SACKS, DISBARS JUDGE
THE Supreme Court En Banc found Judge Sharon M. Alamada-Magayanes, vice-executive judge and presiding judge of Branch 3, Municipal Trial Court in Calamba City, Laguna, guilty of falsification of official documents, serious dishonesty, gross misconduct, commission of crimes involving moral turpitude, and violations of the New Code of Judicial Conduct.
Judge Alamada admitted that the signatures in the payroll registers of the City Government of Calamba pertaining to her contractual driver are hers, where she certified that the former driver had rendered service for the period stated therein although she was aware that the driver has already resigned and was no longer reporting to her court.
The evidence on record also revealed that Judge Alamada was in the possession of the ATM cash card of the driver, and that from September 2020 until July 2021, the driver’s salaries were still being credited to his ATM cash card and were being consistently withdrawn upon the instructions of Judge Alamada.
In dismissing Judge Alamada from the service, the Court En Banc ruled that Judge Alamada’s actions demonstrated her moral depravity and fell short of the standards of a magistrate of the law.
Judges are repeatedly reminded to be irreproachable in conduct and to be free from any appearance of impropriety.
Judge Alamada’s false certifications and misappropriation of her staff’s salaries also constitute gross misconduct and serious dishonesty.
Judge Alamada’s acts did not only affect the image of the judiciary, but also put her moral character in serious doubt and rendered her unfit to continue in the practice of law.
