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DOMINADOR C. BALDOZA, complainant, vs. HON. JUDGE RODOLFO B. DIMAANO, !spon"!nt. A.M. No. ##$%&MJ ##$%&MJ Ma' (, #)*+ FAC- In a ve veri rifi fied ed le lett tter er-c -com ompl plai aint nt da date ted d Se Sept ptem embe berr 9, 19 1975 75,, th thee Municipal Secretary of Taal, Batanga, charge Municipal !udge "odolfo B# $imaano, of the ame municipality, %ith abue of authority in refuing to allo% employee of the Municipal Mayor to e&amine the criminal doc'et record of the Municipal (ourt to ecure data in connection %ith their cont co ntem empl plat ated ed re repo port rt on th thee pe peac acee an and d or orde derr co cond ndit itio ion n of th thee a aid id municipality# "epon "ep onde dent nt an an% %er ered ed th that at th ther eree ha ha ne neve verr be been en an in inte tent ntio ion n to refue acce to official court record but that the ame i al%ay ub)ect to reaonable regulation a to %ho, %hen, %here and ho% they may be inpected# *e further aerted that a court ha the po%er to prevent an impro imp roper per ue or in inpec pectio tion n of it re recor cord d an and d fur furni nihin hing g cop copie ie ma may y be refue %hen the motivation i not eriou and legitimate interet, out of %him or fancy or mere curioity or to gratify private ite or promote public candal# The cae %a thereupon referred to !udge +rancico Mat# "iodiue for invetigation and report# t the preliminary hearing on .ctober 1/, 1975, Taal Mayor (ora0on # (ani0a filed a motion to dimi the complaint but the motion %a denied by the Invetigating !udge# fter formal invetigation, he recommended the e&oneration of repondent repondent## I--UE hether or not the rule and condition condition impoed by !udge $imaano on the inpection of the doc'et boo' infringe upon the right of individual
to information# RULING 2o# found by the Invetigating !udge, the repondent allo%ed the complainant to open and vie% the doc'et boo' of repondent certain condition and under hi control and uperviion# It ha not been ho%n that the rule and condition impoed by the repondent %ere unreaonable# The acce to public record predicated on the right of the people to acuire information on matter of public concern# The incorporation of thi right in the (ontitution i a recognition of the fundamental role of free e&change of information in a democracy# Information i needed to enable the member of ociety to cope %ith the e&igencie of the time# ha been aptly oberved3 4Maintaining the flo% of uch information depend on protection for both it acuiition and it diemination ince, if either proce i interrupted, the flo% inevitably ceae# *o%ever, retriction on acce to certain record may be impoed by la%# Thu, acce retriction impoed to control civil inurrection have been permitted upon a ho%ing of immediate and impending danger that render ordinary mean of control inadeuate to maintain order#
Republic of the Philippines SUPREME COURT anila !"CO#$ $%&%!%O# A.M. No. 1120-MJ May 5, 1976 DOMINADOR C. BALDOZA, co'plainant, (s) ON. JUD!E RODOL"O B. DIMAANO, respondent) R"!O*+T%O# ANTONIO, J.: %n a (eried letter-co'plaint dated !epte'ber ., 1./5, the unicipal !ecretary of Taal, atangas, charges unicipal udge Rodolfo ) $i'aano, of the sa'e 'unicipality, ith abuse of authority in refusing to allo e'ployees of the unicipal ayor to ea'ine the cri'inal doc4et records of the unicipal Court to secure data in connection ith their conte'plated report on the peace and order conditions of the said 'unicipality) Respondent, in anser to the co'plaint, stated that there has ne(er been an intention to refuse access to ocial court records6 that although court records are a'ong public docu'ents open to inspection not only by the parties directly in(ol(ed but also by other persons ho ha(e legiti'ate interest to such inspection, yet the sa'e is alays sub7ect to reasonable regulation as to ho, hen, here and ho they 'ay be inspected) 8e further asserted that a court has un9uestionably the poer to pre(ent an i'proper use or inspection of its records and the furnishing of copies therefro' 'ay be refused here
the person re9uesting is not 'oti(ated by a serious and legiti'ate interest but acts out of hi' or fancy or 'ere curiosity or to gratify pri(ate spite or to pro'ote public scandal) %n his anser, the respondent signicantly obser(ed: Restrictions are i'posed by the Court for fear of an abuse in the eercise of the right) For fear that the dirty hands of partisan politics 'ight again be at play, !o'e of the cases led and decided by the Court after the declaration of artial *a and years after the election still bore the stig'a of partisan politics as shon in the ada(its and testi'onies of itnesses) ;ithout casting aspersion on any particular indi(idual, it is orth 'entioning, that the padloc4s of the door of the Court has recently been ta'pered by inserting papers and 'atchstic4s) +nder the circu'stances, to allo an indiscri'inate and unli'ited eercise of the right to free access, 'ight do 'ore har' than good to the citi
, 1./5, Taal ayor Cora
conditions and under his control and super(ision) Co'plainant ad'itted that he as aare of the rules and conditions i'posed by the respondent hen he ent to his oce to (ie his doc4et boo4s for the purpose 'entioned in his co''unication) 8e also agreed that he is a'enable to such rules and conditions hich the respondent 'ay i'pose) +nder these conditions, therefore, the Court nds that the respondent has not co''itted any abuse of authority) The co'plainant as arned to be 'ore cautious in ling any ad'inistrati(e charge against any public ocial especially, 'e'bers of the 7udiciary, considering that an ad'inistrati(e charge against a 'e'ber of the 7udiciary 'ay epose the latter to public ridicule and scandal thereby 'ini'i
not their prerogati(e to see that the infor'ation hich the records contain is not aunted before public gaB,3E 8un ?#)G)B 2.) 3 D!e dice, sin e'bargo, 9ue esa prohibicion nada tiene 9ue (er con la libertad de i'prenta) Pero pregunto:H de 9uele sir(e a la prensa la libertad si, por otro lado, se le niegan los instru'entos para e7ercer esa libertad, se le cierran las fuentes publicas de infor'ation-fuentes 9ue son de (ida o 'uerte para la prensa pues de ellas 'is'as di'ana ( uye el 7ugo esencial de su eistenciaHD ?$a%ido v. 'aeta, su#ra, p) 3.B) =rticle %&, !ection >, #e Constitution) 5 E/ 8ar(ard *a Re(ie 1505) > %id), pp) 151E-151.)
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