The Supreme Court (SC) rebuked Muntinlupa City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 256 Presiding Judge Romeo Buenaventura and fined him for mishandling former Senator Leila de Lima’s drug case.
The court found Buenaventura guilty of simple misconduct for violating the judicial code of conduct and imposed a P18,000 fine. The court also fined him another P18,000 for neglecting his responsibilities in the case, which has plagued the proceedings with controversy and delays.
The SC issued a stern warning, saying that it would impose stricter penalties if the misconduct occurs again. Buenaventura presided over Criminal Case No. 17-167—the most controversial of De Lima’s three drug cases during former President Rodrigo Duterte’s administration—and became at the center of a legal storm.
Various Muntinlupa RTC branches dismissed these cases between 2021 and 2024.
De Lima, who was granted bail in November 2023 and was released shortly after, faced prolonged legal battles as Buenaventura repeatedly denied her bail petitions, fueling the delays.
The situation escalated when De Lima’s co-accused filed a motion to disqualify the judge because of his family ties to a lawyer involved in the case, prompting Buenaventura to recuse himself.
The court reassigned the case and concluded it under Muntinlupa RTC Branch 206 Presiding Judge Gener Gito.
Violations
De Lima’s legal team filed an administrative complaints against Buenaventura in response to the delays and violation of her constitutional rights.
The SC said that Buenaventura must be held liable for causing “undue delay” in handling De Lima’s case, emphasizing that the Revised Guidelines for Continuous Trial of Criminal Cases require courts to resolve bail petitions in drug cases within 20 calendar days, without requiring oral arguments or memoranda.
The SC also ruled that Buenaventura violated Canon 4, Section 4 of the New Code of Judicial Conduct by participating in the case due to his familial connection to his brother, Emmanuel, who was linked to Dayan, an individual also involved in the case.
Reymund Titong is a Filipino journalist steadily building his voice in the field of news reporting, driven by a commitment to tell meaningful and relevant stories.
He serves as a correspondent for Rappler, contributes to Negros Daily Bulletin, and maintains a blog on Medium.