G.R. No. 29476 , January 31, 1929
THE PEOPLE OF THE PHILIPPINE ISLANDS, plaintiff-appellee, vs. ANDRES COVACHA, defendant-appellant.

FACTS

Andres Covacha, a deputy provincial sheriff of Occidental Negros, received a summons from Attorney Jose F. Orozco on May 21, 1927, for service upon Jose R. Borromeo, a defendant in a civil case pending in the Court of First Instance of Iloilo. Covacha forwarded the summons to another deputy sheriff, Roque F. Marco, on June 9, 1927. Despite follow-up letters from Orozco on June 24 and July 24, 1927, Covacha failed to make a return of service. In his only reply dated July 27, 1927, he merely stated that the summons had been sent to Marco and had not been returned. As of the trial date (March 13, 1928), no return had been made, necessitating the issuance of a new summons and the appointment of a special sheriff. Covacha was charged with and convicted of *desacato* (contempt) under Section 232 of Act No. 190 (Code of Civil Procedure).

ISSUE

Whether the facts alleged in the complaint and proven during the trial constitute the offense of contempt of court.

RULING

YES. The Supreme Court affirmed the conviction. The Court held that sheriffs and their deputies are officers of the court under the Administrative Code and are duty-bound to serve its processes promptly. Covacha’s failure to make a return of the summons for an extended period, without any justification or excuse, constituted gross negligence and misbehavior in the performance of his official duties. This behavior directly interfered with the administration of justice and fell within the definition of contempt. The penalty of a P100 fine, with subsidiary imprisonment in case of insolvency, was upheld.

DISSENTING OPINION (JOHNS, J.):
Justice Johns dissented, arguing that contempt proceedings are quasi-criminal and require proof beyond reasonable doubt. He emphasized that for a valid contempt charge based on failure to serve a summons, the prosecution must allege and prove that the summons was legally issued by the clerk of court, by order of the court, and under the court’s seal. In this case, the summons itself or an authenticated copy was not offered in evidence, and the clerk of court was not called as a witness. Therefore, there was no competent proof that the document Covacha failed to serve was a valid court process. The conviction, based on a mere assumption, reversed the burden of proof.