387 Phil. 957
BUENA, J.:
"That on or about the 25th day of June 1990, in the municipality of Sta. Cruz, province of Zambales, Philippines, and within the jurisdiction of this Honorable Court the above-named accused being then a member of the Sangguniang Bayan of Sta. Cruz, Zambales and the Committee on Bids and Awards of said Sanggunian and taking advantage of said positions, did then and there willfully, unlawfully and feloniously execute a lease contract with the municipality of Sta. Cruz, Zambales for two(2) market stalls at the public market thereat, in his favor, to the detriment of other stall holders and business competitors.The pertinent provision of the old Local Government Code or B.P. Blg. 337 that was allegedly violated reads:
CONTRARY TO LAW."
"Section 41.Officials not to Engage in Business Transactions or Possess Pecuniary Interest.- It shall be unlawful for any lawful government official, directly or indirectly, individually or as a member of a firm:Before arraignment, private respondent moved to dismiss the information on the ground that the charge had already become moot and academic and that any criminal liability he may have incurred has been extinguished.[2] In an Order dated February 26, 1993, respondent Court dismissed the information, to wit:Section 221 of the same Code provides for the penal sanctions for such violation, thus:
(1) To engage in any business transaction with the local government unit of which he is an official or over which he has the power of supervision, or with any of its authorized official, boards, agents, or attorneys, whereby money is to be paid, or property or any other thing of value is to be transferred, directly or indirectly, out of the resources of the local government unit to such person or firm; x x x x x x x x x" "Section 221. Engaging in Business Transactions or Possessing Pecuniary Interest.- Any local government official and any person or persons dealing with him who violate the prohibitions provided in Section 41 hereof, shall be punished with prision correccional or fine of not less than three thousand pesos (P3,000.00) nor more than ten thousand pesos(P10,000.00), or both such imprisonment and fine at the discretion of the court."
"Considering that:may the accused be still held liable under Section 41, par.(1) of BP Blg. 337. The answer is in the NEGATIVE.
"1. The contract of lease is a bilateral contract perfected upon the meeting of the minds of the lessor and the lessee, and therefore cannot be consummated without the knowledge and consent of both, the complainant/lessor in his capacity as Mayor of Municipality of Sta. Cruz, Zambales and the accused as lessee. If any crime was consummated with the execution of the contract of lease, then the information charging the offense should not have been only against the accused but also against the complainant;
"2. The charge against the accused in OMB-ADM-1-91-0327 by the Office of the Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon was dismissed by the said office;
"3. It will result in absurdity and inconsistency if the accused were made to answer and be liable in OMB-1-91-1482 and absolved from any liability under OMB-ADM-1-91-0327 when in both cases he is charged for violation of Section 41 of B.P. Blg. 337 otherwise known as the Local Government Code;
"4. The re-election of the accused as a Kagawad in the 11 May 1992 elections;
"5. The decision of the Supreme Court in Aguinaldo vs. Santos (supra);
"6. The Court should be cautious and vigilant so that it does not unknowingly become an instrument of any protagonist in the political arena,
"WHEREFORE, the Information filed against the accused for violation of Section 41, par.(1) in relation to Section 221 of B.P. Blg. 337 is DISMISSED. The cashbond posted by the accused in the amount of P6,000.00 deposited with the Clerk of Court on 15 January 1993 under O.R. No. 147387 is ordered reimbursed to the accused.On April 2, 1993, 2nd Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Benjamin A. Fadera filed a motion for reconsideration of the order of dismissal. With the denial of the motion for reconsideration in an Order dated April 12, 1993,[4] Dorentino Z. Floresta, in his capacity as Provincial Prosecutor of Zambales and Deputized Tanodbayan Prosecutor and Benjamin A. Fadera, in his capacity as Assistant Provincial Prosecutor of Zambales and Deputized Tanodbayan Prosecutor filed, on June 2, 1993, this petition for certiorari and mandamus questioning the Orders issued by the respondent court dismissing the information.
SO ORDERED."[3]
"The respondent court anchored its disposition in Criminal Case RTC No. 1274-I on dismissal of administrative case OMB-1-91-1482 and OMB-ADM-1-91-0327 against private respondent Rolando Bunao. But Article 89 of the Revised Penal Code enumerates the grounds for extinction of criminal liability; and, dismissal of an administrative charge against accused is not one of them, thus:It is indeed a fundamental principle of administrative law that administrative cases are independent from criminal actions for the same act or omission.[7] Besides, the reliance made by respondent judge on the re-election of private respondent as Kagawad in the May 1992 election so as to warrant the dismissal of the information filed against him, citing Aguinaldo vs. Santos[8] is misplaced. The ruling in said case which forbids the removal from office of a public official for administrative misconduct committed during a prior term, finds no application to criminal cases, pending against said public officer.‘Art. 89. How criminal liability is totally extinguished. – Criminal liability is totally extinguished:"The law is clear and unequivocal. There is nothing in it which states that exoneration from an administrative charge extinguishes criminal liability."
‘1. By the death of the convict, as to the personal penalties; and as to pecuniary penalties, liability therefor is extinguished only when the death of the offender occurs before the final judgment;
‘2. By the service of the sentence;
‘3. By amnesty, which completely extinguishes the penalty and all its effects;
‘4. By absolute pardon;
‘5. By prescription of the crime;
‘6. By the prescription of the penalty;
‘7. By the marriage of the offended woman, as provided in Article 344 of this Code;’
(h) Directly or indirectly having financial or pecuniary interest in any business, contract or transaction in connection with which he intervenes or takes part in his official capacity, or in which he is prohibited by the Constitution or by any law from having any interest.[2] Rollo, p. 59.
"Aside from the fact that the Motion for Reconsideration, dated 02 April 1993, filed by 2nd Assistant Provincial Prosecutor Benjamin A. Fadera, was filed out of time (31 days after receipt of the Order dated 26 February 1993) no new matter/s having been alleged in the Motion which the Court has not as yet considered, the Motion for Reconsideration is denied for lack of merit.[5] People vs. Nano, 205 SCRA 155.
SO ORDERED." (Rollo, p. 14.)
Section 89. Prohibited Business and Pecuniary Interest. (a) It shall be unlawful for any local government official or employee, directly or indirectly, to:
(1) Engage in any business transaction with the local government unit in which he is an official or employee or over which he has the power of supervision, or with any of its authorized boards, officials, agents, or attorneys, whereby money is to be paid, or property or any other thing of value is to be transferred, directly or indirectly, out of the resources of the local government unit to such person or firm.
Section 514. Engaging in Prohibited Business Transaction or Possessing Illegal Pecuniary Interest. Any local official and any person or persons dealing with him who violate the prohibitions provided in Section 89 of Book I hereof, shall be punished with imprisonment for six months and one day to six years, or a fine of not less than Three Thousand pesos (P3,000.00) nor more than Ten Thousand Pesos (10,000.00), or both such imprisonment and fine, at the discretion of the court.