PEOPLEOFTHEPHILIPPINESvs.

DANNYGODOY
JUDGEEUSTAQUIOZ.GACOTT,JRvs.MAURICIOREYNOSO,JR.andEVAP.PONCEDELEON
Facts:AcomplaintwasfiledbyjudgeEustaquioZ.Gacott,Jr.oftheRegionalTrialCourtofPalawanandPuertoPrincesaCity,
Branch47,tociteforindirectcontemptMauricioReynoso,Jr.,acolumnist,andEvaP.PoncedeLeon,publisherandchairmanofthe
editorialboard,respectively,ofthePalawanTimes.HisHonor'splaintisbasedonanarticlewrittenbyrespondentReynoso,Jr.inhis
column,"OntheBeat,"andpublishedintheJuly20,1994issueofsaidnewspaperwhichisofgeneralcirculationinPuertoPrincesa
City.Thecomplaintaversthatthearticletendstoimpede,obstruct,belittle,downgradeanddegradetheadministrationofjustice;that
thearticlecontainsavermentswhicharedisrespectful,discourteous,insulting,offensiveandderogatory;thatitdoesnotonlycast
aspersionsontheintegrityandhonestyofcomplainantasajudgeandonhisabilitytoadministerjusticeobjectivelyandimpartially,
butisanimputationthatheisbiasedandheprejudgesthecasesfiledbeforehim;andthatthearticleissubjudicebecauseitisstill
pendingautomaticreview.
Issue:Whohasjurisdictionincontemptproceedingswheretheallegedcontumelyiscommittedagainstalowercourtwhilethecase
ispendingintheAppellateorHigherCourt
Held:Inwhatevercontextitmayarise,contemptofcourtinvolvesthedoingofanact,orthefailuretodoanact,insuchamanneras
tocreateanaffronttothecourtandthesovereigndignitywithwhichitisclothed.Asamatterofpracticaljudicialadministration,
jurisdictionhasbeenfeltproperlytorestinonlyonetribunalatatimewithrespecttoagivencontroversy.Partlybecauseof
administrativeconsiderations,andpartlytovisitthefullpersonaleffectofthepunishmentonacontemnor,therulehasbeenthatno
othercourtthantheonecontemnedwillpunishagivencontempt.
Therationalethatisusuallyadvancedforthegeneralrulethatthepowertopunishforcontemptrestswiththecourtcontemnedisthat
contemptproceedingsaresuigenerisandaretriableonlybythecourtagainstwhoseauthoritythecontemptarecharged;thepowerto
punishforcontemptexistsforthepurposeofenablingacourttocompelduedecorumandrespectinitspresenceanddueobedience
toitsjudgments,ordersandprocesses:andinorderthatacourtmaycompelobediencetoitsorders,itmusthavetherighttoinquire
whethertherehasbeenanydisobediencethereof,fortosubmitthequestionofdisobediencetoanothertribunalwouldoperateto
deprivetheproceedingofhalfitsefficiency.
Thereare,however,severaljurisprudentiallyandstatutorilyrecognizedexceptionstothegeneralrule,bothunderPhilippineand
Americanjurisprudence,viz.:
1.Indirectcontemptcommittedagainstinferiorcourtmayalsobetriedbytheproperregionaltrialcourt,regardlessoftheimposable
penalty.
2.IndirectcontemptagainsttheSupremeCourtmaybecausedtobeinvestigatedbyaprosecutingofficerandthechargemaybefiled
inandtriedbytheregionaltrialcourt,orthecasemaybereferredtoitforhearingandrecommendationwherethechargeinvolves
questionsoffact.
3.InPeoplevs.Alarcon,etal.,supra,thisCourtruledthat"intheinterrelationofthedifferentcourtsformingourintegratedjudicial
system,onecourtisnotanagentorrepresentativeofanotherandmaynot,forthisreason,punishcontemptsinvindicationofthe
authorityanddecorumwhicharenotitsown.Theappealtransferstheproceedingstotheappellatecourt,andthislastcourtbecomes
therebychargedwiththeauthoritytodealwithcontemptscommittedaftertheperfectionoftheappeal."Theapparentreasonisthat
boththemoralandlegaleffectofapunishmentforcontemptwouldbemissedifitwereregardedastheresentmentofpersonal
affrontsofferedtojudges.Contemptsarepunishedasoffensesagainsttheadministrationofjustice,andtheoffenseofviolatinga
judicialorderispunishablebythecourtwhichischargedwithitsenforcement,regardlessofthecourtwhichmayhavemadethe
order.However,therulepresupposesacompletetransferofjurisdictiontotheappellatecourt,andthereisauthoritythatwherethe
contemptdoesnotrelatetothesubjectmatteroftheappeal,jurisdictiontopunishremainsinthetrialcourt.
4.Acourtmaypunishcontemptscommittedagainstacourtorjudgeconstitutingoneofitspartsoragencies,asinthecaseofacourt
composedofseveralcoordinatebranchesordivisions.
5.Thebiggestfactoraccountingfortheexceptionsiswherethesingularjurisdictionofagivenmatterhasbeentransferredfromthe
contemnedcourttoanothercourt.Oneofthemostcommonreasonsforatransferofjurisdictionamongcourtsisimpropervenue.
Thecasesinvolvingvenuedealprimarilywiththequestionwhetherachangeofvenueisavailableafteracontemptproceedinghas
beenbegun.Whilegenerallyachangeofvenueisnotavailableinacontemptproceeding,somejurisdictionsallowsuchachangein
propercircumstances.
6.Anewcourtwhollyreplacingapriorcourthasjurisdictiontopunishforviolationsofordersenteredbyitspredecessor,although
wherethesuccessorcourtiscreatedbyastatutewhichdoesnotextinguishjurisdictioninthepredecessor,anaffirmativetransferof
jurisdictionbeforethecontemptoccursisnecessarytoempowerthesuccessorcourttoact.
7.Transfersofjurisdictionbyappellatereviewhaveproducednumerousinstanceswherecontemptagainstthetrialcourthasbeen
punishedintheappellatecourt,andviceversa.Someappellatecourtshavetakentheviewthatacontemptcommittedafteranappeal
istakenisparticularlycontemptuousoftheappellatecourtbecauseofthetendencyofsuchcontemptstoupsetthestatusquoor
otherwiseinterferewiththejurisdictionofsuchcourt.
8.Ajudgemaydisqualifyhimself,orbedisqualified,onacontempthearingorinthemaincase,whichcircumstancemayrequirea
transferofjurisdiction,butwhereajudgeisdisqualifiedonlyinthemaincase,becauseofmatterswhichdonotdisqualifyhimina
contemptproceeding,theregularjudgeshouldsitinthecontemptproceeding.Likewise,wheretheregularjudge,isabsentor

otherwiseunavailableandanorderisenteredbyanotherjudgeandmadereturnabletothepropercourt,theregularjudgemaypunish
forviolationsoforderssoentered.
9.Wherethesameactisacontemptagainsttwoormorecourts,itisnobartocontemptproceedingsinoneofthemthatthereisalso
acontemptagainsttheother.
10.Whileprofessionaldisciplinaryproceedingshavebeenresortedtoasapunishmentforcontempt,themorerecentviewisthat
punishmentisofsecondaryimportancetotheneedtoprotectthecourtsandthepeoplefromimproperprofessionalpractice.Tothe
substantialextentthatdisciplinaryactionremainsapunishment,disciplinarymeasuresimposedbyanothercourtthantheone
contemnedfurnishanexceptiontotheruleagainstpunishingforcontemptofanothercourt.
11.Somecontemptuousactsarealsocrime,usuallymisdemeanors,whichareoftenpunishableinothercourtsthanthoseagainst
whichthecontemptuousactwasdone.
12.Finally,aconvictionforcontemptagainstanothercourthasbeenallowedtostandonthebasisthatthefailureofthedefendantto
maketimelyobjectionoperatedasawaiveroftherighttobe
triedbeforethecourtactuallycontemned.
Therule,asnowacceptedanddeemedapplicabletothepresentincident,isthatwheretheentirecasehasalreadybeenappealed,
jurisdictiontopunishforcontemptrestswiththeappellatecourtwheretheappealcompletelytransferstheproceedingstheretoor
wherethereisatendencytoaffectthestatusquoorotherwiseinterferewiththejurisdictionoftheappellatecourt.Accordingly,this
Courthavingacquiredjurisdictionoverthecomplaintforindirectcontemptagainsthereinrespondents,ithastakenjudicial
cognizancethereofandhasaccordinglyresolvedthesame.