"As for the charge of conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, the Court of Appeals absolved respondent of liability, finding that her actions did not cause undue prejudice to the government or the Civil Registry of Iligan City.
This Court disagrees.
In Pia v. Gervacio, Jr.,58 it was explained that "acts may constitute Conduct Prejudicial to the Best Interest of the Service as long as they tarnish the image and integrity of his/her public office."59
Contrary to the Court of Appeals ruling, respondent's actions were detrimental to the reputation of the Office of the Civil Registrar and the civil service in general. It must be emphasized that Edmilao was forced to initiate annulment proceedings before the Regional Trial Court and see it to fruition only to correct respondent's and Aranton's mistakes. Edmilao may have had a hand in it by signing a piece of paper as "game play," but the spurious marriage certificate would never have existed if not for Aranton and respondent's gross negligence and indifference in processing the application. This sort of behavior is not what is expected of our government employees and is definitely not worthy of the trust reposed onto them by the people.
It is imperative for any employee, most especially those of the government, to exercise their duties with the utmost care and responsibility. This is especially true for registration officers of the Civil Registry. A single mistake may entail a change in one's civil status and lead to unnecessary litigation, which is precisely what happened in this case. Hence, petitioner was correct in finding respondent guilty of gross neglect of duty and conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service and meting her with a penalty of six (6) months' suspension."
OFFICE OF THE DEPUTY OMBUDSMAN FOR MINDANAO, PETITIONER, V. ANTONIETA A. LLAUDER, RESPONDENT.
G.R. No. 219062, January 29, 2020.
