IGNACIA BALICAS, petitioner, vs. FACT-FINDING & INTELLIGENCE BUREAU (FFIB), OFFICE OF THE OMBUDSMAN, respondent.
D E C I S I O N
QUISUMBING, J.:
1hls peLlLlon for revlew on cerLlorarl assalls Lhe CourL of Appeals' declslon[1] daLed AugusL 23, 2000 and resoluLlon[2] of november 13, 2000 ln CA-C.8. S no. 36386, whlch afflrmed Lhe Cmbudsman's declslon[3] dlsmlsslng peLlLloner from governmenL servlce for gross neglecL of duLy ln connecLlon wlLh Lhe Lragedy aL Lhe Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon ln AnLlpolo ClLy on AugusL 3, 1999.
1he anLecedenL facLs as summarlzed ln Lhe Cmbudsman's declslon are as follows:
8ased on Lhe evldence adduced by Lhe complalnanL, Lhe followlng ls Lhe chronologlcal serles of evenLs whlch led Lo Lhe developmenL of Lhe CPS (Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon):
AugusL 28, 1990 - hll[as CorporaLlon, whose prlmary purposes, among oLhers are: Lo own, develop, subdlvlde, markeL and provlde low-cosL houslng for Lhe poor, was reglsLered wlLh Lhe SecurlLles and Lxchange Commlsslon (SLC).
lebruary 19, 1991 - Lhen ClLy Mayor uanlel S. Carcla, endorsed Lo Lhe Pouslng and Land use 8egulaLory 8oard (PLu88) Lhe proposed CPS.
1hereafLer, or on 07 March 1991, based on Lhe favorable recommendaLlons of Mayor Carcla, respondenL 1An, lssued Lhe rellmlnary Approval and LocaLlonal Clearance (ALC) for Lhe developmenL of CPS.
Cn !uly 3, 1991, Lhen PLu88 Commlssloner respondenL 1unCALAn lssued uevelopmenL ermlL no. 91-0216 for land developmenL only" for Lhe enLlre land area of 12.1034 hecLares covered by 1C1 no. 33083 (now 1C1 208837) and wlLh 1,003 saleable loLs/unlLs wlLh pro[ecL classlflcaLlon 8.. 220 Model A-Soclallzed Pouslng (p. 96, 8ecords), wlLh several condlLlons for lLs developmenL.
1hree (3) days LhereafLer or on !uly 8, 1991, respondenL !ASA8LnC, allowed/granLed Lhe levellng/earLh-movlng operaLlons of Lhe developmenL pro[ecL of Lhe area sub[ecL Lo cerLaln condlLlons.
Cn november 18, 1991, Lhen PLu88 Commlssloner AMAuC 8. uLLC8lA lssued CerLlflcaLe of 8eglsLraLlon no. 91-11-0376 ln favor of CPS, wlLh Llcense Lo Sell no. 91- 11-0392 for Lhe 1,007 loLs/unlLs ln Lhe subdlvlslon.
LvenLually, on uecember 10, 1991, respondenL CLLlSCC lssued Small Scale Mlnlng ermlL (SSM) no. lv-316 Lo hll[as Lo exLracL and remove 10,000 cu. meLers of fllllng maLerlals from Lhe area where Lhe CPS ls locaLed.
1hereafLer, or on !anuary 12, 1994, hll[as applled for a Small Scale Mlnlng ermlL (SSM) under .u. 1899 wlLh Lhe 8lzal rovlnclal CovernmenL Lo exLracL and remove 30,000 meLrlc Lons of fllllng maLerlals per annum on CPS' 2.8 hecLares.
1hus, on !anuary 17, 1994, respondenL MACnC, lnformed LLlLZL8 l. 8Cu8lCuLZ of hll[as LhaL CPS ls wlLhln Lhe LlS SysLem and as such musL secure LCC from Lhe uLn8. hll[as was accordlngly lnformed of Lhe maLLer such LhaL lL applled for Lhe lssuance of LCC from Lhe uLn8-8eglon lv, on lebruary 3, 1994.
Cn March 12, 1994, an lnspecLlon 8eporL allegedly prepared by respondenL 8ALlCAS, aLLesLed by respondenL 8u1ACulC and approved by respondenL 1CLLn1lnC re: fleld evaluaLlon Lo Lhe lssuance of LCC, was submlLLed.
ConsequenLly, on Aprll 28, 1994, upon recommendaLlons of respondenL 1CLLn1lnC, hll[as' appllcaLlon for LCC was approved by respondenL 8lnClL, Lhen 8eglonal LxecuLlve ulrecLor, uLn8 under LCC-137-81-212-94.
A Mlnlng lleld 8eporL for SSM daLed May 10, 1994 was submlLLed pursuanL Lo Lhe lnspecLlon reporL prepared by respondenLs CA?L1AnC, lLLlClAnC, PlLAuC and 8u8CCS, based on Lhelr lnspecLlon conducLed on Aprll 23 Lo 29, 1994. 1he reporL recommended, among oLhers, LhaL Lhe proposed exLracLlon of maLerlals would pose no adverse effecL Lo Lhe envlronmenL.
8ecords furLher dlsclosed LhaL on AugusL 10, 1994, respondenL 8ALlCAS monlLored Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe CPS ro[ecL uevelopmenL Lo check compllance wlLh Lhe Lerms and condlLlons ln Lhe LCC. Agaln, on AugusL 23, 1993, she conducLed anoLher monlLorlng on Lhe pro[ecL for Lhe same purpose. ln boLh lnsLances, she noLed LhaL Lhe pro[ecL was sLlll ln Lhe consLrucLlon sLage hence, compllance wlLh Lhe sLlpulaLed condlLlons could noL be fully assessed, and Lherefore, a follow-up monlLorlng ls proper. lL appeared from Lhe records LhaL Lhls AugusL 23, 1993 monlLorlng lnspecLlon was Lhe lasL one conducLed by Lhe uLn8.
Cn SepLember 24, 1994, CCv. CASlMl8C l. ?nA8LS, !8., approved Lhe SSM applled for by hll[as under SSM no. 8ZL-012, allowlng hll[as Lo exLracL and remove 30,000 meLrlc Lons of fllllng maLerlals from Lhe area for a perlod of Lwo (2) years from daLe of lLs lssue unLll SepLember 6, 1996.[4]
lmmedlaLely afLer Lhe Lraglc lncldenL on AugusL 3, 1999, a facL-flndlng lnvesLlgaLlon was conducLed by Lhe Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman Lhrough lLs lacL-llndlng and lnLelllgence 8ureau (lll8), whlch duly flled an admlnlsLraLlve complalnL wlLh Lhe Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman agalnsL several offlclals of Lhe Pouslng and Land use 8egulaLory 8oard (PLu88), ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources (uLn8), and Lhe local governmenL of AnLlpolo.
1he charge agalnsL peLlLloner lnvolved a supposed fallure on her parL Lo monlLor and lnspecL Lhe developmenL of Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon, whlch was assumed Lo be her duLy as uLn8 senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL asslgned ln Lhe provlnce of 8lzal.
lor her parL, peLlLloner belled allegaLlons LhaL monlLorlng was noL conducLed, clalmlng LhaL she monlLored Lhe developmenL of Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon as evldenced by Lhree (3) monlLorlng reporLs daLed March 12, 1994, AugusL 10, 1994 and AugusL 23, 1993. She averred LhaL she also conducLed subsequenL compllance monlLorlng of Lhe Lerms and condlLlons of hll[as' LnvlronmenLal Compllance CerLlflcaLe (LCC) on May 19, 1997 and noLed no vlolaLlon Lhereon. She furLher clalmed good falLh and exerclse of due dlllgence, lnslsLlng LhaL Lhe Lragedy was a forLulLous evenL. She reasoned LhaL Lhe collapse dld noL occur ln Cherry Pllls, buL ln Lhe ad[acenL mounLaln easLern slde of Lhe subdlvlslon.
Cn november 13, 1999, Lhe Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman rendered a declslon lmposlng upon peLlLloner Lhe supreme penalLy of dlsmlssal from offlce for gross neglecL of duLy flndlng:
8LSCnuLn1 8ALlCAS
8ecords show LhaL she monlLored and lnspecLed Lhe CPS [Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon] only Lhrlce (3), Lo wlL:
1. lnspecLlon 8eporL daLed 12 March 1994
2. MonlLorlng 8eporL daLed 10 AugusL 1994
3. MonlLorlng 8eporL daLed 23 AugusL 1993
verlly, wlLh Lhls scanL frequency, how can respondenL 8allcas sweeplngly clalm LhaL Lhere was no vlolaLlon of LCC compllance and LhaL she had done whaL ls necessary ln accordance wlLh Lhe regular performance of her duLles. She herself recognlzed Lhe facL LhaL Lhe collapsed area ls noL Lhe subdlvlslon ln quesLlon buL Lhe ad[acenL mounLaln easLern slde of Lhe CPS." lL ls lncumbenL upon her Lo esLabllsh Lhe same ln her monlLorlng and lnspecLlon reporLs and make ob[ecLlve recommendaLlons re: lLs posslble adverse effecL Lo Lhe envlronmenL and Lo Lhe resldenLs of Lhe CPS and nearby areas. Per defense LhaL Lhe poslLlon of Lhe CPS shows Lhe lmposslblllLy of checklng Lhe would- be adverse effecL clearly esLabllshed her lncompeLence. no experL mlnd ls needed Lo know LhaL mounLalns cause landsllde and eroslon. Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon ls a llvlng wlLness Lo Lhls.[3]
eLlLloner seasonably flled a peLlLlon for revlew of Lhe Cmbudsman's declslon wlLh Lhe CourL of Appeals. ln lLs declslon daLed AugusL 23, 2000, Lhe CourL of Appeals dlsmlssed Lhe peLlLlon for lack of merlL and afflrmed Lhe appealed declslon. lL found LhaL Lhe landsllde was a prevenLable occurrence and LhaL peLlLloner was gullLy of gross negllgence ln falllng Lo closely monlLor hll[as' compllance wlLh Lhe condlLlons of Lhe LCC glven Lhe known lnherenL lnsLablllLy of Lhe ground where Lhe subdlvlslon was developed. 1he appellaLe courL llkewlse denled peLlLloner's moLlon for reconslderaLlon ln lLs resoluLlon daLed november 13, 2000.
eLlLloner now comes Lo Lhls CourL for revlew on cerLlorarl, under 8ule 43 of Lhe 8ules of Clvll rocedure, of Lhe appellaLe courL's declslon. She alleges LhaL Lhe CourL of Appeals commlLLed serlous errors of law ln afflrmlng Lhe Cmbudsman's concluslon LhaL:
1 1here was gross negllgence on Lhe parL of peLlLloner 8allcas ln Lhe performance of her offlclal duLles as Senlor LnvlronmenLal ManagemenL SpeclallsL (SLMS) of Lhe rovlnclal LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources Cfflce (Ln8C) rovlnce of 8lzal, uLn8 8eglon lv, and Lhe alleged gross neglecL of duLy of peLlLloner warranLed Lhe lmposlLlon of Lhe exLreme penalLy of dlsmlssal from Lhe servlce.
2. 1he landsllde whlch caused Lhe deaLh of several resldenLs of Lhe subdlvlslon and Lhe desLrucLlon of properLy ls noL a forLulLous evenL and Lherefore prevenLlble.[6]
1he maln lssues are wheLher or noL Lhe CourL of Appeals commlLLed serlous errors of law ln: (1) holdlng peLlLloner gullLy of gross neglecL of duLy and (2) lmposlng upon her Lhe exLreme penalLy of dlsmlssal from offlce.
ln order Lo ascerLaln lf Lhere had been gross neglecL of duLy, we have Lo look aL Lhe lawfully prescrlbed duLles of peLlLloner. unforLunaLely, uLn8 regulaLlons are sllenL on Lhe speclflc duLles of a senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL. lnLernal regulaLlons merely speak of Lhe funcLlons of Lhe rovlnclal LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources Cfflce (Ln8C) Lo whlch peLlLloner dlrecLly reporLs.
noneLheless, peLlLloner relles on a leLLer[7] daLed uecember 13, 1999 from Lhe chlef of personnel, uLn8 8eglon lv, whlch deflnes Lhe duLles of a senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL as follows:
1. ConducLs lnvesLlgaLlon of polluLlon sources or complalnLs,
2. 8evlew[s] plans and speclflcaLlons of proposes (slc) or exlsLlng LreaLmenL planLs and polluLlon abaLemenL sLrucLures and devlces Lo deLermlne Lhelr efflclency and sulLablllLy for Lhe klnd of polluLanLs Lo be removed and Lo recommend lssuance or denlal of permlLs,
3. ConducLs follow-up lnspecLlon of consLrucLlon of polluLlon abaLemenL/work and sLrucLures Lo oversee compllance wlLh approved plans and speclflcaLlons,
4. 8ecommends remedlal measures for Lhe prevenLlon, abaLemenL and conLrol of polluLlon,
3. repares Lechnlcal reporLs on polluLlon lnvesLlgaLlon and relaLed acLlvlLles, and
6. erforms relaLed work as asslgned.
lL ls readlly apparenL LhaL no monlLorlng duLy whaLsoever ls menLloned ln Lhe sald leLLer. 1he Ln8C, on Lhe oLher hand, ls mandaLed Lo:
1. conducL survelllance and lnspecLlon of polluLlon sources and conLrol faclllLles and underLake/lnlLlaLe measures relaLlve Lo polluLlon-relaLed complalnLs of Lhe general publlc for approprlaLe referral Lo Lhe reglonal offlce,
2. commenL on Lhe pro[ecL descrlpLlon, deLermlne lf Lhe pro[ecL fall wlLhln Lhe LnvlronmenLal lmpacL SLaLemenL (LlS) SysLem[8] and submlL Lhe same Lo Lhe reglonal offlce, and
3. lmplemenL programs and pro[ecLs relaLed Lo envlronmenLal managemenL wlLhln Lhe Ln8C.[9]
ln addlLlon, Lhe Ln8C ls llkewlse Lasked Lo monlLor Lhe pro[ecL proponenL's compllance wlLh Lhe condlLlons sLlpulaLed ln Lhe LCC, wlLh supporL from Lhe uLn8 reglonal offlce and Lhe LnvlronmenLal ManagemenL 8ureau.[10] 1he prlmary purpose of compllance monlLorlng ls Lo ensure Lhe [udlclous lmplemenLaLlon of sound and sLandard envlronmenLal quallLy durlng Lhe developmenL sLage of a parLlcular pro[ecL. Speclflcally, lL alms Lo:
1. monlLor pro[ecL compllance wlLh Lhe condlLlons seL ln Lhe LCC,
2. monlLor compllance wlLh Lhe LnvlronmenLal ManagemenL lan (LM) and appllcable laws, rules and regulaLlons, and
3. provlde a basls for Llmely declslon-maklng and effecLlve plannlng and managemenL of envlronmenLal measures Lhrough Lhe monlLorlng of acLual pro[ecL lmpacLs vls-a-vls predlcLed lmpacLs ln Lhe LlS.[11]
8ased on Lhe foregolng, Lhe monlLorlng duLles of Lhe Ln8C malnly deal wlLh broad envlronmenLal concerns, parLlcularly polluLlon abaLemenL. 1hls general monlLorlng duLy ls appllcable Lo all Lypes of physlcal developmenLs LhaL may adversely lmpacL on Lhe envlronmenL, wheLher houslng pro[ecLs, lndusLrlal slLes, recreaLlonal faclllLles, or sclenLlflc underLaklngs.
Powever, a more speclflc monlLorlng duLy ls lmposed on Lhe PLu88 as Lhe sole regulaLory body for houslng and land developmenL. lL ls mandaLed Lo encourage greaLer prlvaLe secLor parLlclpaLlon ln low-cosL houslng Lhrough (1) llberallzaLlon of developmenL sLandards, (2) slmpllflcaLlon of regulaLlons and (3) decenLrallzaLlon of approvals for permlLs and llcenses.[12]
.u. no. 1386[13] prescrlbes Lhe followlng duLles on Lhe PLu88 (Lhen MlnlsLry of Puman SeLLlemenLs) ln connecLlon wlLh envlronmenLally crlLlcal pro[ecLs requlrlng an LCC:
SLC1lCn 4. resldenLlal roclamaLlon of LnvlronmenLally CrlLlcal Areas and ro[ecLs. - 1he resldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes may, on hls own lnlLlaLlve or upon recommendaLlon of Lhe naLlonal LnvlronmenL roLecLlon Councll, by proclamaLlon declare cerLaln pro[ecLs, underLaklngs or areas ln Lhe counLry as envlronmenLally crlLlcal. no person, parLnershlp or corporaLlon shall underLake or operaLe any such declared envlronmenLally crlLlcal pro[ecL or area wlLhouL flrsL securlng an LnvlronmenLal Compllance CerLlflcaLe lssued by Lhe resldenL or hls duly auLhorlzed represenLaLlve. lor Lhe proper managemenL of sald crlLlcal pro[ecL or area, Lhe resldenL may by hls proclamaLlon reorganlze such governmenL offlces, agencles, lnsLlLuLlons, corporaLlons or lnsLrumenLallLles lncludlng Lhe re-allgnmenL of governmenL personnel, and Lhelr speclflc funcLlons and responslblllLles.
lor Lhe same purpose as above, Lhe MlnlsLry of Puman SeLLlemenLs [now PLu88] shall: (a) prepare Lhe proper land or waLer use paLLern for sald crlLlcal pro[ecL(s) or area(s), (b) esLabllsh amblenL envlronmenLal quallLy sLandards, (c) develop a program of envlronmenLal enhancemenL or proLecLlve measures agalnsL calamlLous facLors such as earLhquake, floods, waLer eroslon and oLhers, and (d) perform such oLher funcLlons as may be dlrecLed by Lhe resldenL from Llme Lo Llme. (Lmphasls ours.)
1he legal duLy Lo monlLor houslng pro[ecLs, llke Lhe Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon, agalnsL calamlLles such as landslldes due Lo conLlnuous raln, ls clearly placed on Lhe PLu88, noL on Lhe peLlLloner as Ln8C senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL. ln facL, Lhe law lmposes no clear and dlrecL duLy on peLlLloner Lo perform such narrowly deflned monlLorlng funcLlon.
ln Lhe relaLed case of rlnclpe v. lacL-llndlng and lnLelllgence 8ureau,[14] Lhls CourL found AnLonlo rlnclpe, reglonal execuLlve dlrecLor for uLn8 8eglon lv who approved hll[as' appllcaLlon for LCC, noL llable for gross neglecL of duLy. 1he CourL reversed Lhe declslon of Lhe CourL of Appeals and Lhereby annulled Lhe declslon of Lhe Cmbudsman ln CM8-AuM-09-661, daLed uecember 1, 1999, dlsmlsslng rlnclpe from Lhe governmenL servlce. We ordered hls relnsLaLemenL wlLh back pay and wlLhouL loss of senlorlLy.[13]
1he raLlonale for our declslon ln rlnclpe bears relLeraLlon: Lhe responslblllLy of monlLorlng houslng and land developmenL pro[ecLs ls noL lodged wlLh Lhe uLn8, buL wlLh Lhe PLu88 as Lhe sole regulaLory body for houslng and land developmenL. 1hus, we musL sLress LhaL we flnd no legal basls Lo hold peLlLloner, who ls an offlcer of uLn8, llable for gross neglecL of Lhe duLy perLalnlng Lo anoLher agency, Lhe PLu88. lL was grave error for Lhe appellaLe courL Lo susLaln Lhe Cmbudsman's rullng LhaL she should be dlsmlssed from Lhe servlce. 1he relnsLaLemenL of peLlLloner ls clearly called for.
WPL8LlC8L, Lhe peLlLlon ls hereby C8An1Lu. 1he CourL of Appeals' declslon afflrmlng Lhe Cmbudsman's dlsmlssal of peLlLloner lCnAClA 8ALlCAS from offlce ls 8LvL8SLu and SL1 ASluL, and peLlLloner's 8LlnS1A1LMLn1 Lo her poslLlon wlLh back pay and wlLhouL loss of senlorlLy rlghLs ls hereby ordered.
SC C8uL8Lu.
uno, (Chalrman), AusLrla-MarLlnez, Calle[o, Sr., and 1lnga, !!., concur.
[1] 8ollo, pp. 30-38. enned by AssoclaLe !usLlce Pllarlon L. Aqulno, wlLh AssoclaLe !usLlces 8uenavenLura !. Cuerrero and Mercedes Cozo-uadole concurrlng.
[2] ld. aL 39.
[3] CA 8ollo, pp. 26-79.
[4] 8ollo, pp. 30-32.
[3] CA 8ollo, pp. 70-71.
[6] 8ollo, p. 16.
[7] CA 8ollo, p. 416.
[8] resldenLlal uecree no. 1386 deflnes Lhe LlS sysLem as:
SLC1lCn 2. LnvlronmenLal lmpacL SLaLemenL SysLem. - 1here ls hereby esLabllshed an LnvlronmenLal lmpacL SLaLemenL SysLem founded and based on Lhe envlronmenLal lmpacL sLaLemenL requlred, under SecLlon 4 of resldenLlal uecree no. 1131, of all agencles and lnsLrumenLallLles of Lhe naLlonal governmenL, lncludlng governmenL-owned or conLrolled corporaLlons, as well as prlvaLe corporaLlons, flrms and enLlLles, for every proposed pro[ecL and underLaklng whlch slgnlflcanLly affecL Lhe quallLy of Lhe envlronmenL.
[9] 8evlsed 8egulaLlons on Lhe uellneaLlon of luncLlons and uelegaLlon of AuLhorlLles ursuanL Lo LxecuLlve Crder no. 192. uLn8 AdmlnlsLraLlve Crder no. 38-90.
[10] uLn8 AdmlnlsLraLlve Crder no. 96-37.
[11] rocedural Manual for uLn8 AdmlnlsLraLlve Crder no. 96-37.
lAC1S: ln Lhe developmenL of Lhe Cherry Pllls Subdlvlslon (CPS), hll[as applled for Lhe lssuance of LCC from Lhe uLn8-8eglon lv
8espondenL 8ALlCAS, Ln8C senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL, monlLored Lhe lmplemenLaLlon of Lhe CPS ro[ecL uevelopmenL Lo check compllance wlLh Lhe Lerms and condlLlons ln Lhe LCC. She conducLed anoLher monlLorlng on Lhe pro[ecL for Lhe same purpose. ln boLh lnsLances, she noLed LhaL Lhe pro[ecL was sLlll ln Lhe consLrucLlon sLage hence, compllance wlLh Lhe sLlpulaLed condlLlons could noL be fully assessed, and Lherefore, a follow-up monlLorlng ls proper. lL appeared from Lhe records LhaL Lhls AugusL 23, 1993 monlLorlng lnspecLlon was Lhe lasL one conducLed by Lhe uLn8.
lmmedlaLely afLer Lhe Lraglc lncldenL on AugusL 3, 1999, a facL-flndlng lnvesLlgaLlon was conducLed by Lhe Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman Lhrough lLs lacL-llndlng and lnLelllgence 8ureau (lll8), whlch duly flled an admlnlsLraLlve complalnL wlLh Lhe Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman agalnsL several offlclals of Lhe Pouslng and Land use 8egulaLory 8oard (PLu88), ueparLmenL of LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources (uLn8), and Lhe local governmenL of AnLlpolo.
1he charge agalnsL peLlLloner lnvolved a supposed fallure on her parL Lo monlLor and lnspecL Lhe developmenL of CPS, whlch was assumed Lo be her duLy as uLn8 senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL asslgned ln Lhe provlnce of 8lzal.
lor her parL, peLlLloner belled allegaLlons LhaL monlLorlng was noL conducLed, clalmlng LhaL she monlLored Lhe developmenL of CPS as evldenced by 3 monlLorlng reporLs .She furLher clalmed good falLh and exerclse of due dlllgence, lnslsLlng LhaL Lhe Lragedy was a forLulLous evenL. She reasoned LhaL Lhe collapse dld noL occur ln Cherry Pllls, buL ln Lhe ad[acenL mounLaln easLern slde of Lhe subdlvlslon.
1he Cfflce of Lhe Cmbudsman rendered a declslon lmposlng upon peLlLloner Lhe supreme penalLy of dlsmlssal from offlce for gross neglecL of duLy.
eLlLloner seasonably flled a peLlLlon for revlew of Lhe Cmbudsmans declslon wlLh Lhe CA. 1he CourL of Appeals dlsmlssed Lhe peLlLlon for lack of merlL and afflrmed Lhe appealed declslon. lL found LhaL Lhe landsllde was a prevenLable occurrence and LhaL peLlLloner was gullLy of gross negllgence ln falllng Lo closely monlLor hll[as compllance wlLh Lhe condlLlons of Lhe LCC glven Lhe known lnherenL lnsLablllLy of Lhe ground where Lhe subdlvlslon was developed. 1he appellaLe courL llkewlse denled peLlLloners moLlon for reconslderaLlon.
1hls peLlLlon for revlew on cerLlorarl
lSSuL: WCn 8allcas ls gullLy of gross neglecL of duLy
PLLu: Lhe peLlLlon ls hereby C8An1Lu, 1he CA declslon afflrmlng Lhe Cmbudsmans dlsmlssal of peLlLloner lCnAClA 8ALlCAS from offlce ls 8LvL8SLu and SL1 ASluL, and peLlLloners 8LlnS1A1LMLn1 Lo her poslLlon wlLh back pay and wlLhouL loss of senlorlLy rlghLs ls hereby ordered.
nC
ln order Lo ascerLaln lf Lhere had been gross neglecL of duLy, we have Lo look aL Lhe lawfully prescrlbed duLles of peLlLloner. unforLunaLely, uLn8 regulaLlons are sllenL on Lhe speclflc duLles of a senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL. lnLernal regulaLlons merely speak of Lhe funcLlons of Lhe rovlnclal LnvlronmenL and naLural 8esources Cfflce (Ln8C) Lo whlch peLlLloner dlrecLly reporLs.
1Lhe monlLorlng duLles of Lhe Ln8C malnly deal wlLh broad envlronmenLal concerns, parLlcularly polluLlon abaLemenL. 1hls general monlLorlng duLy ls appllcable Lo all Lypes of physlcal developmenLs LhaL may adversely lmpacL on Lhe envlronmenL, wheLher houslng pro[ecLs, lndusLrlal slLes, recreaLlonal faclllLles, or sclenLlflc underLaklngs.
Powever, a more speclflc monlLorlng duLy ls lmposed on Lhe PLu88 as Lhe sole regulaLory body for houslng and land developmenL.
.u. no. 1386 prescrlbes Lhe followlng duLles on Lhe PLu88 (Lhen MlnlsLry of Puman SeLLlemenLs) ln connecLlon wlLh envlronmenLally crlLlcal pro[ecLs requlrlng an LCC:
SLC1lCn 4. resldenLlal roclamaLlon of LnvlronmenLally CrlLlcal Areas and ro[ecLs. 1he resldenL of Lhe hlllpplnes may, on hls own lnlLlaLlve or upon recommendaLlon of Lhe naLlonal LnvlronmenL roLecLlon Councll, by proclamaLlon declare cerLaln pro[ecLs, underLaklngs or areas ln Lhe counLry as envlronmenLally crlLlcal. no person, parLnershlp or corporaLlon shall underLake or operaLe any such declared envlronmenLally crlLlcal pro[ecL or area wlLhouL flrsL securlng an LnvlronmenLal Compllance CerLlflcaLe lssued by Lhe resldenL or hls duly auLhorlzed represenLaLlve. lor Lhe proper managemenL of sald crlLlcal pro[ecL or area, Lhe resldenL may by hls proclamaLlon reorganlze such governmenL offlces, agencles, lnsLlLuLlons, corporaLlons or lnsLrumenLallLles lncludlng Lhe re-allgnmenL of governmenL personnel, and Lhelr speclflc funcLlons and responslblllLles.
lor Lhe same purpose as above, Lhe MlnlsLry of Puman SeLLlemenLs [now PLu88] shall:
(a) prepare Lhe proper land or waLer use paLLern for sald crlLlcal pro[ecL(s) or area(s),
(c) develop a program of envlronmenLal enhancemenL or proLecLlve measures agalnsL calamlLous facLors such as earLhquake, floods, waLer eroslon and oLhers, and
(d) perform such oLher funcLlons as may be dlrecLed by Lhe resldenL from Llme Lo Llme.
1he legal duLy Lo monlLor houslng pro[ecLs, llke Lhe CP, agalnsL calamlLles such as landslldes due Lo conLlnuous raln, ls clearly placed on Lhe PLu88, noL on Lhe peLlLloner as Ln8C senlor envlronmenLal managemenL speclallsL. ln facL, Lhe law lmposes no clear and dlrecL duLy on peLlLloner Lo perform such narrowly deflned monlLorlng funcLlon.
Environment and Energy: Environmental Aspects of Energy Production and Use with Particular Reference to New Technologies a Report of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Henry Wilbert Brandt Gaylene Brandt v. Charles Chidester Twin City Transportation, Incorporated, A Corporation v. Ravenswood Aluminum Corporation, Movant-Appellee, 64 F.3d 655, 4th Cir. (1995)