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QEFICE' OF TtJE COURT AQMINISTRATOR

CIRCULAR NO_ 17-95

TO· .'. THE COURTOF APPEALS, SANDIGANBAYAN, COURT OFTAX APPEALS. REGIONAL TRIAL COURTS. SHARI~ADISTRICT COURTS, METROPOLITAN TRIAL COURTS,MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURTS IN CITIES, MUNICIPALTRIAL COURTS, t1UNICIPAL GIRCUIT 'TRIALCOURTS. SHARI'A CIRCUIT COURTS.oF THE PHIL-IPPINES

A. M. NO. MT.J-9:3-1374 _AUGUSTUSL. MOt10NGAN.CompLeLnerrt vs •• JUDGERAFAEL B. OtlIPON, 6th t1CTC: Hinun8.ng8.n-Si18.g0; Southern Levt,e , Respondent. ,

Quoted hereunder for the Lnf or-me.tLon and guid8.nee of

8.11 concez-ned , is the pertinent portion of the decision of

the Thir'd Division in'· A. M. No. MT.J-9:3-1374 (AUGUSTUS L.

MOt10NGAN,Pet it Loner- versus .JUDGERAFAEL B. otlIPON. Respond-

ent), dated March 14. 1995 •. to wit:

"A. t1. No. t1T.J~93-874. (AUGUSTUS L. t10t10NGAN,Petitioner versus .JUDGERAFAEL B. OtlIPON, Respond-ent)

xxx xxx xxx"Complainant. is correct. in point.ing out. t.hat

based on Pres. Decree No. 705. Sec. 68-A and Adm.Order No. 59, the DENR Secretary or his dulyauthorized representative' has t.he power t.oconfiscate any illegally obt.ained or gat.heredforest. products and all convevancee used in t.hecommission of. the offense and t.o dispose of t.hesame in accordance wi t.h pert.inent. laws. However ,as complainant himself likewise pointed out.. thispower is in r-e Lat.Lon to t.he administrat.ive juris-

: diction of t.he DENR.

"We do not find that. when respondent. Judgereleased the truck after he conducted thepreliminary . invest.igat.ion and sat.isfied himselfthat there was no reason t.o continue keeping t.het.ruck. he violated Pres. Decree No. 705 and Adm.Order No. 59. The release of t.he truck did notrender nuae t.or v the adJuinistrative aut.hor-Lt.v of

os ssse • a • •

t}1E~ r!El\~F~.~:~e(:roe t ar v .. TIle .con f i SC~£.i t i ()rl l;lr'C)c:eecl i:t1gSunder Adm. (')'dt~r No. 596 is different, frc:t!ntheconfiscation unde r the Revi ee d Penal Code" whichis an additional penalty imposed in the event ofconviction. Despi Le the order of release, thetruck can be seized again either by filing amoticn for r-e i.nve s ti ga Cion and moti on to inc Ludethe tr-uok owne rv'dr I ve r aB co-accuE;ed, which c om-plainant has done aa manifested before the lowercourt or by enforcing Adm. Order No. 59. Section12 thereof cat.e go r-Lce Ll v et.et.ee ill:1t . [t 111e C::C':r1-

f i ecatLcn Cif the conveyance unde r the ee regu,la-tLon e :3ha11 be w i t.hout pre,) ud i.ce to env c run i nalac ti on wnic n shall be filed Ele;airH3t the ownerth i~ r-e ()f:- o r all~,r };~r~l' SC) 11 who II ~3(::cl t1-1e c en ';/8 I/8.!} (~e 1.nthe COLJjLL:~2:'Lc;n of the off en;:>:? .. '

"Pe t.Lti one r is of the c~I)i11i(Jrl the t 1)1'1(~e,p t.hec~.i r-cume tenc ce , r-e:.::~r)()11(lel1t t]Llc1.gi~ ehou Ld have t.ur-ne dover t.he tr-uck t.o the Conunun it v Env l r-onmen t !3. 11clt~EttlLt'.B.l n\::t:~~)\.tP(~{:t1Of f Lc e ((~E~'-4R'()') o f :3a 1:1 ,..)1)2,11 ~

~3CtlJt he .:c·'i} L!t~v te f or- Etl:ll::1I'(~;'l)1"i .[1_ r.e (i.i t=q;,c:.;3 i t- i o n . f,J c)(1<~-~~)1)t - t.h i ~3 wou I d ha '-:.re S itrn.:·} i f i e(i lne~t.. t.e _re. aridI)l~e\lerlI:·i::l1 tile pr e 0;?-11t 3 it 1.J,5 t ~~.e-n f rom ()(~:C:U.I'l' _L I1.g

()l- t}::·~i.t", du l v a~~t}j(~l"JJ.zecl l;.el=>r"eSejlt.·:\t".i\/ei.~ 311,31l g-i\Te t.he .owne r- i) 1" }1i s r-e j)r'e ~~'~:~11 ta t .i ~',te,:\ wri 1:.- t.ell fl C:.t .1. ce () f -:::}1e ~:3ei Z "l}Y'B

,3.:(1cl ;::~}}Fi,.11 .f,;t'v·e 11 iu} fill C!l:!t:·lc~.r·t.·UI"jI tv to tH.?' 118 ,a, r'c"i .i 11 re-f e roe ncetc; t}"}p g..r-(:d.).i"'uj -c.:·r·r es eon for" t.he sE~izu.r·e bv r·e·;~.1.~i'('i.ri.gs.aicl:".)\<\i'Tl;8I' Cl r~ r'e r~~I;'f~S:?'n t~·B_ti ve t. c: 3~J bm i t. ewor n s t e-~t en}e 11t e· () l~ aff i -.(;/:i ~l i t _0 ~3:ri t.h .i n t.hr-e e (~~') cl.a ~.1i..=:1 f l;'()Hl l:-'ec~ei J:' t c~l~ ~3t~C11 "'vo:~(" i t t en1'1C,:t·i C:E: o r t tIe~,r 1n8_~F e 1ec~ t t.o 11.a"'re :3. fCij:-~ins_l._ 11&3,1:'i1"l.g c»IlclllC: t-ecl :0

c(~e(lj 11.~.e. i:::c~r}r}ec~ r.ed ~lt{i t.h ccn f i B(~ at i C~j1:- ,. r'e~l.:'r-e~3"2. nte t .i 1./-e·· S}l~i II1)e 'dt:.~en}t~(ltc~ i.nc Lude 11£)t c~.n.~.>/. ~r"el)L~e~3erit.s~_t.i\.re-.ill--.f5.ct Cif t,l"iB

C: o n ~/e "S/~-.

, ..•ry:-~I.~~~ .t'_, \ .... ,

-3.f i)r'~?';3'=~,_i c1. ~~~\.-iC)l-·ri t~t.-E'.t.eme n t /lE\ff i (la V'it o f t118 :)\/ll12.:t°r "_.'.i. roe !.=,{·'t,?--

:3e1"1t.a ti :~ft~ i)r' it- .one i B r~ec;ei "reel ije e·]~!J.t.e c~l_~E: {}(} t. ~L;~:e ..l?El~F~J)../·'C~El;'Jf'() or a1'1 j--;~~1u thor- i z,eci re pre sell te t i '\le ()f t.'1-1e r~Er'1}\ fo rt.}1(:~ mette z- ~3:hall de t.er'ml ne if the ee i ze d C;c.i.tl'/e~/;:tllc:e \;;JB.S 1J;,.:::-elj.in the C:()inlL~.;.:~:':)i ~.)L~of t.ile of fe ne.e 8.3 c on ten} F~l.6:t ed .i 11 l3e·c t i on=~ he r-e o f , S-J:lij z.~l!'3.11 r-ender- ·3 :r'el)C'l~'t t.he reon ;:qi t.h i n ()i"ie \-v8Ed-:ctC~C:\Jn1i:l.a_ni i5!cl bv tile e"V'" i dence he }1.=53 gE~ the r-e d i l1C~Ludirig 1·1i 2-J"~~~I~~()inlnerj;j,atj;')11.8· tf) t.Ile Sec~r·etal·~,r {)r- r he F~.€;gic~l:l.al Exe cutI \re

Director, 8a the caze may oe.

wc U:,Q .0 •

- 3 -

wherein one government official files a complaintaga.inst· another. Under Sec. 4 of Adm, Order No.59. if the a.pprehension is not made by DENRfieldoffices, d.eputized military personnel e.nd offi-c LeLe of other:. a.gencies a.pprehending illega.l logse.nd other forest products and their conveve.noeeehe.l.l, notify the nee.rest DENR field offices andturn over ee.Ld forest products a.nd convevanee forproper action and disposition. A period of aboutt."w weeks la.psed from the time the seizure wasmade before a. compLeLnt.: .,,119.8 filed.' During thisper Iod , the a.pprehending po 1icemen had enough timeto turn over the logs ,e.nd the truck to the nee.restDENRfield. office for proper e.ct.Lon e.nd disposi-tion since the duty to turn over the truck to thene e.ree t DENR·field. office rests on the of f LcLe.Leapprehending the i Ll.e ge.L logs. There be ing nome.nde.t.or v duty on the po.rt of respondent -Judge toturn over the truck. he should not be visited withdLec LpLi.ne.r-v ee.nct.Lon when he d.id. not refer theso.me to the DENRfield. office in Se.n -Juan , South-ern Leyte."

March 23, 1995. L~,ERNANI CRUZCourt AdmLnL

Continued ...

SEC. 9. DISPOSITION OF CONVEYANCE. All conveyancesfound to have been used in the transport of anv forestproduct from illegal sources and/or covered by spuriousdocuments shall be declared forfeited in favor of the gov-ernment in accordance with Sec. 68~A of PD 705. as amended.Forfeited c onve vance e mav be used, at the discretion of theDENR,in the forest protection and development activities,otherwise. the same shall be disposed of through pub.licauction by the Secretary or the Regional Office. as the casemay be. in accordance with existing policies and proceduresfor the disposition of government propert~T.

MSC/betl1{ 'Y\,"Vdodong "}