THE Supreme Court has admonished a Marikina City judge over a 2023 parking row with a member of the Public Attorney’s Office (PAO).

In a 14-page July 2025 decision, a copy of which was obtained by The Manila Times, the high tribunal censured Judge Rey P. Inciong of Regional Trial Court’s Branch 263 and told him more circumspect in the performance of his duties as a magistrate of the court.

Penned by Associate Justice Jhosep Lopez, the en banc ruling likewise warned Inciong that a similar conduct in the future “shall be dealt with more severely.”

But in his dissenting opinion, Associate Justice Japar Dimaampao said that Lopez “totally exonerated Judge Inciong from liability on the sole reason that he was simply enforcing order in the courthouse.”

“I strongly disagree. Judge Inciong must be held guilty of prejudicial conduct that gravely besmirches or taints the reputation of the service,” Dimaampao said.

In his account, lawyer Ivanheck Gatdula said that he arrived on the morning of March 9, 2023 at the Justice Hall of Marikina and pulled over his vehicle near the ramp of its lobby to clock in at PAO’s biometrics system. After less than a minute, he parked at his designated slot.

The judge, who also parked his vehicle and saw a Mitsubishi Montero parked in front of the access ramp for persons with disability (PWD), said that he merely questioned Gatdula, whom he saw while queuing in an elevator, on why he initially parked in the area which blocked the public thoroughfare.

Supreme Court censures Marikina judge over parking dispute with PAO lawyer, This news data comes from:http://www.yamato-syokunin.com

While apologizing to the judge, Gatdula replied that he was only trying to avoid disciplinary action for being tardy which caused Inciong to lose his temper as he ordered the latter to remove his hands from his pockets for his fear that he was carrying a weapon.

The high court cited an instance that the judge spewed “demoralizing remarks” at Gatdula in public.

The high court said that the “respondent must be reminded that government service is people-oriented. Patience is an essential part of dispensing justice and courtesy is a mark of culture and good breeding.”

“Impatience and rudeness have no place in government service, in which personnel are enjoined to act with self-restraint and civility at all times,” it added.

“Still, his demeaning reaction and his sudden outbursts towards the PAO lawyers were clearly disproportionate to their actions, however, wrong they may have been,” said Lopez in his ruling which was concurred in by Chief Justice Alexander Gesmundo and eight high court members including Dimaampao.

Dimaampao said that he was in accord with his colleagues in sternly warning the Marikina judge that a repetition of similar offenses would be dealt with more severely. He, however, recommended that he should pay a fine of P80,000 as “he is guilty of prejudicial conduct that gravely besmirches or taints the reputation of the service” and another P30,000 for his vulgar or offensive language in violation of the provisions of the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability.

Supreme Court censures Marikina judge over parking dispute with PAO lawyer