Florentino Floro - Judicial Career

Judicial Career

In 1995 Floro applied to the Judicial and Bar Council, but was rejected for the bench after failing the mandatory psychological examination by the Supreme Court of the Philippines. The Clinic Services of the Supreme Court found "evidence of ego disintegration" and "developing psychotic process", and Floro voluntarily withdrew his application. Floro re-applied in 1998 again with a negative evaluations. Due to his impressive academic performance he was allowed to submit a second, more favorable psychiatric opinion from private practitioners. On his 45th birthday Floro was appointed a regional trial court judge in the Metro Manila region of the capital (the youngest ever appointed) and began work in November 1998. Floro stated his mission was to rid the Philippine legal system of corruption. In March of the following year, Floro requested an audit be performed, which resulted in a July 13 report to a court administrator who recommended the report be considered a complaint against Floro and that he be given another psychiatric examination. On July 20, 1999 Floro was placed on preventive suspension during the investigation against him, for a variety of reasons including:

• Violating a variety of rules governing judicial conduct, including circulating a business card containing self-congratulatory statements, and announcing his qualifications in court
• declarations in criminal cases on the side of the accused
• having a private law practice while a judge
• having hearings without the presence of a prosecuting attorney
• ordering mental and physical examinations of an accused over the objections of a prosecutor on unjustified grounds

The investigation resulted in 13 charges. In March, 2001 the Supreme Court reviewed a report incorporating psychiatric and psychological findings of multiple doctors which judged the evidence to be substantiated, and recommended Floro be declared unfit to be a judge, effective immediately. Over the next several years (in part taking so long because of Floro's delaying tactics) the Supreme Court undertook an investigation, ultimately handing down a unanimous decision that Floro be dismissed from the bench. The court did not rule that Floro was insane, but did suffer from psychosis that impaired his judgement.