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An aLLorney (lL lsn'L clear lf Lhls ls Lhe same aLLorney who ls Lhe
peLlLloner for Lhe complalnL agalnsL Lozano and Cuevedo) flled
a complalnL [udge of llrsL lnsLance ln Lhe Supreme CourL. 1hls
case was referred Lo Lhe ALLorney Ceneral for lnvesLlgaLlon,
reporL, and recommendaLlon.
1he SollclLor-Ceneral was deslgnaLed Lo conducL Lhe
lnvesLlgaLlon of Lhe charges, and pursuanL Lo sald deslgnaLlon,
proceeded Lo Lhe munlclpallLy of Caplz, rovlnce of Caplz, Lo
Lake Lhe LesLlmony of cerLaln wlLnesses. 1he lnvesLlgaLlon was
conducLed secreLly, as ls cusLomary ln cases of Lhls characLer.
Aprll 29, 1930 ! Ll ueblo, a newspaper publlshed ln llollo
(edlLed by Severlno Lozano), prlnLed an accounL of Lhe
lnvesLlgaLlon wrlLLen by AnasLaclo Cuevedo.
o 1he arLlcle sLaLed LhaL Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon began ln Manlla
and Lhe proceedlngs happenlng ln Cadlz were slmply a
conLlnuaLlon. Cuevedo wroLe LhaL Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon was
held behlnd closed doors and LhaL Lhe conLenL of hls
arLlcle was wrlLLen based on (1) whaL he heard behlnd
Lhe screen whlch slL Lhe door of Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon
room", and (2) whaL he heard from Lhe commenLs
clrculaLlng ln soclal clrcles. 1he arLlcle purporLs Lo glve
an accounL of Lhe evldence of Lhe dlfferenL wlLnesses.
ComplalnanL aLLorney and Lhe ALLorney Ceneral conLend LhaL
Lhe arLlcle's conLenLs were lnaccuraLe/false and LhaL lL Lended
Lo lmproperly lnfluence Lhe proceedlngs (!"" $"%&' (&) *"+,-%!).
o eLlLloner !ose ?. 1orres alleges LhaL Lhe conLenL of Lhe
arLlcle were "false, mallclous, and unLrue" and LhaL
"sald reporL Look sldes wlLh Lhe respondenL [udge...and
expressed an oplnlon as Lo Lhe merlLs of Lhe same, wlLh
Lhe ob[ecL undoubLedly, Lo lnfluence Lhe acLlon of Lhe
lnvesLlgaLor and Lhe publlc ln general and Lo obsLrucL,
embarrass or lmpede Lhe course of Lhe presenL
lnvesLlgaLlon."
o 1he ALLorney-Ceneral sLaLes LhaL Lhe newspaper reporL
"does noL conLaln a falr and Lrue accounL of Lhe facLs
dlsclosed aL Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon...creaLlng a wrong
lmpresslon ln Lhe mlnd of Lhe publlc and Lendlng Lo
lnfluence lmproperly Lhe acLlon of Lhls courL ln Lhe sald
pendlng maLLer."

-AA80A ;3 >0 /0A32906
1. WheLher or noL Lhe edlLor and wrlLer of Lhe arLlcle should be
held ln conLempL.

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AL Lhe Llme of publlcaLlon of Lhe arLlcle, Lhere was ln force a
resoluLlon of Lhe Supreme CourL (daLed !anuary 27, 1922),
whlch provldes "1haL all proceedlngs looklng Lo Lhe suspenslon
or dlsbarmenL of lawyers, and all proceedlngs looklng Lo Lhe
suspenslon or removal of [udges of flrsL lnsLance, shall be
consldered confldenLlal ln naLure unLll Lhe flnal dlsposlLlon of
Lhe maLLer."
1hls resoluLlon flnds supporL ln SecLlon 173 of Lhe
AdmlnlsLraLlve Code, auLhorlzlng Lhe Supreme CourL Lo conducL
lnqulrles lnLo Lhe conducL of !udges of llrsL lnsLance "and Lo
adopL such rules of procedure ln LhaL regard as lL may deem
proper."
!"#$%&' $%)%' &$*%+, -%.#!* /0123401256 &**78 9+:.# ;#'+


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1he rule ls well esLabllshed LhaL Lhe newspaper publlcaLlons
Lendlng Lo lmpede, obsLrucL, embarass, or lnfluence Lhe courLs
ln admlnlsLerlng [usLlce ln a pendlng sulL or proceedlng
consLlLuLe crlmlnal conLempL whlch ls summarlly punlshable by
Lhe courLs. 1he rule ls oLherwlse afLer Lhe cause ls ended. lL ls
also regarded as an lnLerference wlLh Lhe work of Lhe courLs Lo
publlsh any maLLers whlch Lhelr pollcy requlres should be kepL
prlvaLe.

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Lngllsh courLs has repeaLedly ruled LhaL "!udlclal proceedlngs, ln
a case whlch Lhe law requlres Lo be conducLed ln secreL for Lhe
proper admlnlsLraLlon of [usLlce, should never be, whlle Lhe case
ls on Lrlal, glven publlclLy by Lhe press." Any vlolaLlon of such
confldenLlallLy requlremenLs may hold Lhe vlolaLor llable for
conLempL.
1haL Lhe respondenLs were lgnoranL of Lhls resoluLlon ls no
excuse, for Lhe very arLlcle publlshed by Lhem lndlcaLes LhaL Lhe
hearlng was held behlnd closed doors and LhaL Lhe lnformaLlon
of Lhe reporLer was obLalned from ouLslde Lhe screen and from
commenLs ln soclal clrcles. 1hen ln wrlLlng up Lhe lnvesLlgaLlon,
lL came abouL LhaL Lhe LesLlmony was muLllaLed and LhaL Lhe
reporL reflecLed upon Lhe acLlon of Lhe complalnanL Lo hls
posslble dlsadvanLage.
noLe on freedom of speech: 1he admlnlsLraLlon of !usLlce and
Lhe freedom of Lhe press, Lhough separaLe and dlsLlncL, are
equally sacred, and nelLher should be vlolaLed by Lhe oLher.

[-.52 90/6-=;1 lL ls Lhe holdlng of Lhe courL LhaL Lhe respondenLs
Severlno Lazano and AnasLaclo Cuevedo are gullLy of conLempL of courL,
and lL ls Lhe order of Lhe courL LhaL Lhey be punlshed for such conLempL
by Lhe paymenL of a nomlnal sum by each of Lhem ln Lhe amounL of
LwenLy pesos (20).

.3 A0:5/5;0 3:-.-3.A