A.M. No. P 12-3093. March 26, 2014 Anonymous Complaint Against Otelia Lyn G.

Maceda,
Court Interpreter, Municipal Trial Court, Palapag, Northern Samar

ISSUE: Complaint against a COURT INTERPRETER alleging falsifacation of the her

attendance in court so she could attend her law classes at UEP in Catarman, Northern
Samar.

We see no reason to disturb the finding of the OCA that Maceda did indeed falsify her DTRs
and is, therefore, guilty of dishonesty.

Judge Falcotelo stated in his Report that for Maceda to make it on time to her law classes at
UEP, she would have to leave the MTC at 4:00 pm. Or even earlier Macedas Summary of
Scholastic Records, submitted by UEP College Secretary Alfredo D. Tico, showed that
Maceda had law school subjects for the school years 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 which
started at 5:30 p.m. hence, it was impossible for Maceda to have left the MTC only at 5:00
p.m. as she had consistently logged in her DTRs during the months she was also attending
her classes.

Macedas repeated assertion that she continued her law school classes for self-improvement
and with the permission of the MTC Presiding Judge does little to exculpare her of
administrative liability. These are not accpetable excuses for not properly declaring the time
she logged-off from work in her DTRs. Time and again, the OCA and this Court have
underscored the importance of court employess thruthfully and accurately recording in their
DTRs the time of their arrival in and departure from office.

Macedas falsification of her DTRs is dishonesty. Dishonesty is defined as (d)ispostion to lie,

cheat, deceive, or defraud; untrustowrthiness; lack of inegrity; lack of honesty, probity or
integrity in principle; lack of fairness and straightforwardness; dispostion to defraud, deceive
or betray.