SC warns La Union judge for ‘half-dressed’ photos online

The Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday warned a judge of the La Union Regional Trial Court (RTC) after photos on his Facebook account showed him half-dressed, revealing the tattoos on his upper body.

In a decision penned by Justice Henri Jean Paul B. Inting, the Court’s Second Division found the respondent judge guilty of Conduct Unbecoming of a Judge and sternly warned him that a repetition of the same shall be dealt with more severely.

“The OCA found the respondent judge guilty of violating the New Code of Judicial Conduct, as well as OCA Circular No. 173-2017 when he posted the subject photos on his Facebook account and held him liable for Conduct Unbecoming of a Judge for his improper behavior,” the High Court said.

“It found him guilty and recommended a P15,000 fine and that he be reprimanded with a strong warning,” it added.

According to SC, the administrative case stemmed from printed copies of the subject pictures allegedly posted by the respondent judge as his Facebook cover photos and profile pictures, which were received by the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA).

The respondent judge said that his account was hacked in 2019, during which his account privacy setting was switched from private to public.

He also maintained that the subject pictures showing his tattoos were “exclusively meant for his own viewing pleasure and for his [Facebook] friends only and never posted for public consumption.”

SC, however, said that the Court adopted the findings of the OCA but modified the penalties.

“The Court agreed with the OCA that the respondent judge had breached his duty to avoid impropriety, or even just the appearance of impropriety, when he posted the subject pictures showing his half-dressed body and tattooed torso on his Facebook account that eventually became readily accessible to the general public,” the High Court said.

Meanwhile, the SC reminded judges to be mindful of social media postings.

“The Court once again reminds judges to mindful of what they communicate in social networking sites—regardless of whether it is a personal matter or a part of his or her judicial functions—as such content indubitably creates and contributes to the public’s perception not only of the concerned judges, but, more importantly, of the Judiciary as a whole,” it stressed. — Mel Matthew Doctor/BM, GMA News