SC sacks, disbars judge

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December 24, 2025 | 12:00am

Over killing of fellow judge

MANILA, Philippines — The Supreme Court has dismissed Regional Trial Court judge Oscar Tomarong from the judiciary and canceled his license to practice law after the SC found him liable for the killing of a fellow RTC judge in Liloy, Zamboanga del Norte in 2019.

In an en banc ruling, the SC said it found substantial evidence that Tomarong hired killers to murder Sindangan RTC Branch 11 judge Reymar Lacaya, based on the testimonies of several witnesses.

“A judge committing the murder of a fellow judge must be punished swiftly and severely,” the high court said, noting that the murder is a “patent breach” of judicial essence at a time when the judiciary has been forced to adopt heightened security measures to protect its members from external threats.

Aside from dismissal, the SC ruled that Tomarong was unfit to practice law as “a lawyer who shows utter disregard for the sanctity of human life cannot remain a member of the legal profession.”

The SC stressed that no one, including members of the judiciary, is above the law, pointing out that public trust in the justice system is eroded when judges violate the very laws they are sworn to uphold.

Witness Juliber Cabanting, an aide of Tomarong, testified that the latter instructed him to look for hired killers to kill Lacaya for a fee of P250,000.

Days later, Lacaya was shot multiple times as he approached his vehicle parked outside the RTC in Liloy town. The SC noted that both Tomarong and Lacaya were reassigned in 2019 to each other’s court branches.

Although the decision for murder is still on appeal, the SC said a final conviction is not required to impose the administrative penalties as disciplinary cases require only substantial evidence to prove the guilt.

“Administrative cases are separate from criminal cases and do not require the same level of proof. Even the dismissal of a criminal case does not automatically dismiss an administrative case,” the high court said.

“Judges are the embodiment of law and justice. The judiciary’s task of maintaining people’s trust is undermined whenever judges neglect their duties, and worse, violate the laws that they are supposed to uphold,” the SC added.

It ordered the forfeiture of Tomarong’s retirement benefits and disqualification from reemployment in the government.