G.R. No. 223623 and G.R. No. 223644, January 29, 2020.
ROBERTO C. EUSEBIO, PETITIONER, VS. CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, RESPONDENT; and CIVIL SERVICE COMMISSION, PETITIONER, VS. ROBERTO C. EUSEBIO, RESPONDENT.

FACTS

On February 1, 2008, then Pasig City Mayor Roberto C. Eusebio appointed Rosalina V. Tirona as President of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasig (PLP). On June 7, 2010, after his re-election, Eusebio issued a memorandum urging all city chiefs of office, including Tirona, to tender courtesy resignations. Tirona refused. On July 19, 2010, Eusebio terminated Tirona’s appointment, citing her having reached the compulsory retirement age of 70. Tirona questioned her termination before the Civil Service Commission (CSC). By Decision dated September 23, 2010, the CSC ruled Tirona was illegally dismissed and ordered her reinstatement. Eusebio’s motion for reconsideration was denied on December 13, 2010. Eusebio appealed to the Court of Appeals but did not comply with the CSC’s reinstatement order, and the CA did not issue any injunctive relief. Consequently, the CSC motu proprio charged Eusebio with indirect contempt. The CSC, under Decision No. 12-0843 dated November 26, 2012, found Eusebio guilty and imposed a fine of P1,000.00 per day, totaling P416,000.00 for the period from December 13, 2010 (denial of motion for reconsideration) to February 1, 2012 (end of Tirona’s term), pursuant to Section 4 of its Revised Rules on Contempt. Eusebio’s motion for reconsideration was denied. Eusebio filed a petition for review with the Court of Appeals (CA-G.R. SP No. 129526). Pending disposition, Eusebio paid the P416,000.00 fine. The Court of Appeals, under Decision dated July 21, 2015, affirmed Eusebio’s liability but reduced the fine to P30,000.00, holding that the CSC’s rule prescribing a P1,000.00 per day fine extended the scope of its enabling law and was unreasonable. The CSC’s partial motion for reconsideration was denied. The CSC, through the Office of the Solicitor General, assailed the CA’s reduction of the fine. Eusebio, in G.R. No. 223623 , twice moved for extension to file a petition but failed to do so; the Court declared the case closed and terminated, and entry of judgment was issued.

ISSUE

Whether the Court of Appeals erred in reducing the fine imposed by the Civil Service Commission on Roberto C. Eusebio for indirect contempt from P416,000.00 to P30,000.00.

RULING

The Supreme Court granted the petition in G.R. No. 223644 and reinstated the CSC’s imposition of the P416,000.00 fine. The Court held that the CSC has the constitutional and statutory authority to promulgate rules, including its Revised Rules on Contempt. Section 6, Article IX-A of the 1987 Constitution authorizes the CSC to promulgate its own rules concerning pleadings and practice before it. Section 12(2), Chapter 3, Title I, Subtitle A, Book V of Executive Order No. 292 (Administrative Code of 1987) empowers the CSC to prescribe and enforce rules and regulations to effectively carry out the Civil Service Law. The Court found that the CSC’s Revised Rules on Contempt, which prescribe a fine of P1,000.00 per day for indirect contempt, is a valid exercise of this rule-making power. The fine is a reasonable measure to enforce the CSC’s directives and ensure compliance with its final orders. The Court of Appeals erred in ruling that the CSC rule extended the scope of the enabling law; the rule is within the CSC’s delegated legislative authority. The Court also noted that the verdict of guilt for indirect contempt against Eusebio had lapsed into finality in G.R. No. 223623 , and under the doctrine of finality of judgment, could no longer be disturbed. The reduction of the fine by the CA was reversed, and the CSC’s original fine of P416,000.00 was reinstated.