Manila: The Supreme Court has turned down the plea filed by a retired Court of Appeals (CA) magistrate to lift his preventive suspension from the practice of law and restore his pension and retirement benefits. In a statement Wednesday, the high court said it has denied the motion for reconsideration filed by retired CA Associate Justice Isaias Dicdican.

According to Philippines News Agency, the SC had formally charged Dicdican with gross misconduct for his alleged involvement in the murder of lawyer Joey Luis Wee. Wee was shot and killed on Nov. 23, 2020, at the ground floor of the building in Cebu City where his law office was located. Dicdican was among those charged in the murder case endorsed by the National Bureau of Investigation to the Cebu City Prosecution Office and/or the Office of the Prosecutor General.

After the filing of the charge, the SC ordered Dicdican's preventive suspension from the practice of law and the discontinuation of his pension and retirement benefits pending the resolution of his administrative case. In denying his motion for reconsideration, the SC said the preventive sanctions were not meant to punish him but serve as precautionary measures.

The SC explained that preventive suspension is necessary because Dicdican, having practiced law and served as a CA justice in Cebu, may have a possible influence that could obstruct the ongoing criminal and administrative cases against him. Under the Code of Professional Responsibility and Accountability, preventive suspension is imposed to prevent interference with an investigation. This includes tampering, hiding, or destroying evidence, and intimidating witnesses.

The SC also ruled that his pension and retirement benefits shall remain withheld until he complies with its directive requiring the personal submission of his pensioner's survey form and other documents required by Office of the Court Administrator Circular 10-2017. Under the circular, retired judges are required to submit proof of life and pension entitlement every January and July to ensure the timely and proper release of pension benefits.

The SC required personal submission in this case because Dicdican's whereabouts have remained uncertain in the past two years.