CSC junks ex-Iloilo City registrar’s case vs colleague

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Civil Service Commission has dismissed a petition for review filed by Romeo Caesar “Juncae” L. Manikan Jr., former chief of the Iloilo City Civil Registry Office, effectively upholding its regional office’s denial of his complaint against a fellow city government employee.

In its order promulgated June 25, the CSC clarified that while it has concurrent original jurisdiction with local government units over administrative disciplinary cases, it cannot intervene when the local disciplining authority has already taken prior action.

The case stemmed from Manikan’s allegations that Cherie Ampig, a city government employee, falsified entries in her Daily Time Record for July 16–17, 2020.

He first filed a complaint in October 2020, but it was dismissed without prejudice due to procedural lapses.

He refiled the case in January 2021 before the CSC Western Visayas office.

However, prior to that, then-Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas had already initiated administrative proceedings against Ampig and other employees in December 2020, issuing a show cause order and subsequently a formal charge for simple dishonesty based on the same allegations.

The CSC ruled that since the Office of the Mayor had first acquired jurisdiction, it retained sole authority over the matter.

The commission also rejected the earlier basis used by CSC-6 in dismissing the case—specifically, the invocation of litis pendentia, or the existence of a pending similar case involving the same parties and issues.

The CSC clarified that the doctrine was misapplied, as there was no identity of parties: Manikan filed his complaint, while Treñas initiated the earlier administrative action.

“Since not all elements of litis pendentia are present, it is concluded that the dismissal of the complaint against Ampig filed before the CSC-6 on the said ground was not warranted,” the six-page decision read.

Despite the flawed legal reasoning, the commission affirmed the dismissal on a different ground: that jurisdiction had already been validly acquired by the city government.

The CSC upheld its Western Visayas office’s earlier rulings dated July 5, 2021, and Jan. 27, 2022, which both denied Manikan’s complaint against Ampig.

It emphasized that the CSC may only intervene once the local authority has rendered a decision and a party files an appeal.

Treñas, in a statement issued July 15, said the CSC’s latest order underscored the importance of respecting institutional boundaries and adhering to the hierarchy of remedies and proper administrative processes.

“I remain hopeful that all public servants—regardless of rank—will continue to pursue justice not for personal vindication, but for the sake of public trust and institutional integrity,” he added.