THE Supreme Court dismissed a clerk of court of the Cabuyao City, Laguna regional trial court for soliciting money from the parents of a litigant in exchange for finding them a lawyer from the Public Attorney’s Office.
The Court en banc, in a resolution dated February 18, 2025, said Gerald Eric Sanchez, Clerk III of the Cabuyao City RTC, was guilty of gross misconduct and ordered that, aside from his dismissal from the service, he be perpetually disqualified from holding any position in the government.
A complaint was filed by Mercedes Felongco alleging that Sanchez promised to help in a criminal case in exchange for P100,000.
Aside from this, the en banc said a trial court judge also requested that Sanchez be investigated following reports that he had been acting as a “fixer,” soliciting money from litigants in exchange for securing PAO representation and expediting the resolution of their cases.
The en banc did not give weight to Sanchez’s denials, adding that he had indeed accepted money for personal gain in violation of the Code of Conduct for Court Personnel.
“Court personnel shall not recommend private attorneys to litigants, prospective litigants, or anyone dealing with the Judiciary,” a briefer provided by the SC said, citing Canon IV, Section 5 of the said Code.
“Furthermore, as Clerk III, Sanchez was not authorized to collect or receive money from any litigant. However, he asked and accepted P50,000 in cash from the litigant and had an additional P50,000 deposited into his mother’s account,” the SC added.
The High Court has yet to release a full copy of the resolution.
