The Supreme Court has dismissed an administrative complaint filed by the Office of the Ombudsman targeting seven Court of Appeals associate justices for alleged gross ignorance of the law.
In a resolution dated December 2025, the tribunal tossed out the case after determining that the claims were judicial in nature and devoid of merit.
The named respondents in the administrative case were Associate Justices Marlene Gonzales-Sison, Rafael Antonio Santos, Louis Acosta, Roberto Quiroz, Rex Bernardo Pascual, Mary Charlene Hernandez-Azura, and Ferdinand Baylon.
The dispute originated from the justices’ decision to issue a temporary restraining order, which halted the execution of a preventive suspension against eight members of the Antique Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
The Ombudsman subsequently challenged the appellate court’s intervention, triggering the administrative charge.
The resolution comes shortly after Ombudsman Jesus Crispin “Boying” Remulla urged the high bench to act on the petition, which was originally submitted by former Ombudsman Samuel Martires.
However, the high court’s December ruling had already resolved the matter, concluding that the grievance required no further proceedings.