Facts:

The complainant owns a piece of land in San Fernando City, La Union's

Barangay Pagudpud. On January 7, 2011, the complainant signed a Deed of Absolute
Sale in favor of Leah Mallari for a sum of 500,000 pesos over the property
(P500,000.00). The complainant's children signed a form titled Confirmation of Sale
acknowledging the purchase.
The legal battle between the parties arose as a result of the procedure of
transferring the lot's ownership to Mallari. According to the complaint, he and Mallari
reached an arrangement in which he agreed to assist in the process of transferring the
lot's title to Mallari's name. Mallari, who was unable to withstand the delay in the
delivery of the title to the land she had been sold, allegedly filed an Application for
Certification of Alienable and Disposable Land with the complainant's name in the
Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of the Department of
Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), San Fernando City, La Union, as a
preliminary step for the segregation and titling of the land.Mallari filed a civil complaint at
the Municipal Trial Court (MTC) of Aringay, La Union, demanding payment for the costs
she suffered as a result of the transfer and titling of the property she acquired. Two of
the four checks issued by the complaint were underfunded, resulting in a compromise
arrangement between the parties that collapsed. As a result, Mallari filed a criminal
complaint against the complainant before the MTC of Aringay, La Union, for violating
Batas Pambansa Bilang 22, also known as The Bouncing Checks Law. By notarizing
the disputed Application for Certification of Alienable and Disposable Land, the
complainant claimed that he made it appear that he had done so, while in fact he was in
Manila at the time of the purported notarization, working as a doctor, and never went to
the respondent's office.
Commissioner Maria Angela Esquivel (Commissioner Esquivel) ruled on June
15, 2015, that dent had been careless in the discharge of her responsibilities as a
notary public and had broken the Notarial Rules, suggesting that she be disciplined. The
following is a summary of the Report and Recommendation:
As a result of the preceding, it is thus suggested that the Respondent's notary
public license be revoked, and that she be disqualified for two (2) years as a notary
public, with a warning that a similar act will be punished more harshly if repeated.