In his verified complaint dated June 16, 1993, Mr. Rodrigo B. Supena, President of Mortgagee BPI Agricultural Development Bank (BAID, for short), charges respondent Judge Rosalio G. de la Rosa with gross ignorance of the law for issuing an unlawful Order, dated May 25, 1993, in Foreclosure Case No. 93-822, entitled, "BPI Agricultural Development Bank v. PQL Realty Incorporated." The Order in effect held in abeyance the public auction sale set on May 26, 1993, per Notice of Extrajudicial Sale of one (1) parcel of land, together with the building and all the improvements existing thereon, described and covered by TCT No. 112644 of the Registry of Deeds of Manila, on the basis of a mere Ex-Parte  Motion to Hold Auction Sale in Abeyance filed by Mortgagor, PQL Realty Incorporated (PQL, for short).

The antecedent facts are as follows:

On April 1, 1993, mortgagee BAID decided to extrajudicially foreclose the Real Estate Mortgage^[1] executed by mortgagor PQL in the former's favor. Accordingly, BAID petitioned the Ex-Officio Sheriff of Manila to take the necessary steps for the foreclosure of the mortgaged property and its sale to the highest bidder.

On April 21, 1993, Jesusa P. Maningas, the Clerk of Court and Ex-Officio Sheriff of Manila, issued a Notice of Extrajudicial Sale, scheduling the public auction sale on May 26, 1993 at 10:00 o'clock a.m. in front of the City Hall Building, Manila. Said notice was subsequently published in the People's Journal Tonight on May 4, 11 and 19, 1993.

However, on May 25, 1993, or one day before the scheduled sale, the Hon. Rosalio G. de la Rosa, in his capacity as Executive Judge of the Regional Trial Court of Manila, issued an Order holding in abeyance the scheduled public auction sale, on the basis of a mere ex-parte motion filed by PQL, a copy of which was received by mortgagee-complainant only on May 31, 1993. Complainant avers that, said order is, for all practical intents and purposes, a restraining order for an indefinite period, issued without the proper case being filed and without the benefit of notice and hearing, or even an injunction bond from which the mortgagee may seek compensation and restitution for the damages it may suffer by reason of the improper cancellation of the auction sale.

The only ground relied upon by the ex-parte Motion, "that the parties have agreed to hold the foreclosure proceedings in Makati and not in Manila," is patently without merit, according to the complainant, as the venue of foreclosure proceedings is fixed by law and cannot be subject of stipulation. In sum, complainant submits that the actuations of respondent judge in granting the ex-parte motion of mortgagor were without basis and highly suspicious.

Respondent, in his comment, maintains that he held in abeyance the extrajudicial foreclosure and sale of the property mortgaged supposed to be held on May 26, 1993 and instead scheduled the same for hearing on June 16, 1993 (which however did not transpire), to determine two issues: first, whether the venue in Foreclosure Proceeding No. 93-822 was improperly laid in light of the stipulation in the "Loan Agreement" duly entered into by both parties and acknowledged before a Notary Public which provides:

"14) VENUE OF ACTIONS Any action or suit brought under this Agreement or any other documents related hereto shall be instituted in the proper Courts of Makati, Metro Manila, Republic of the Philippines."^[2]

and, secondly, in order to determine the veracity of the mortgagor's allegation that the Five Hundred Thousand Pesos (P500,000.00) paid to BPI Agri-Bank last January, 1993 does not reflect and does not appear to have been credited or deducted from the accounts of mortgagor. It was, allegedly, under the principle of fair play, equity and substantial justice which compelled him to issue the Order dated May 25, 1993.^[3]

We find the respondent judge culpable as charged.

Any judge, worthy of the robe he dons, or any lawyer, for that matter, worth his salt, ought to know that different laws apply to different kinds of sales under our jurisdiction. We have three different types of sales, namely: an ordinary execution sale, a judicial foreclosure sale, and an extrajudicial foreclosure sale. An ordinary execution sale is governed by the pertinent provisions of Rule 39 of the Rules of Court on Execution, Satisfaction and Effect of Judgments. Rule 68 of the Rules, captioned Foreclosure of Mortgage, governs judicial foreclosure sales. On the other hand, Act No. 3135, as amended by Act No. 4118, otherwise known as "An Act to Regulate the Sale of Property under Special Powers Inserted in or Annexed to Real Estate Mortgages," applies in cases of extrajudicial foreclosure sales of real estate mortgages.^[4]

The case at bench involves an extrajudicial foreclosure sale of a real estate mortgage executed by mortgagor PQL in favor of mortgagee BAID. If the main concern of respondent judge in holding in abeyance the auction sale in Manila scheduled on May 26, 1993 was to determine whether or not venue of the execution sale was improperly laid, he would have easily been enlightened by referring to the correct law, definitely not the Rules of Court, which is Act No. 3135, as amended particularly Sections 1 and 2, viz:

"SECTION 1. When a sale is made under a special power inserted in or attached to any real estate mortgage hereafter made as security for the payment of money or the fulfillment of any other obligation, the provisions of the following sections shall govern as to the manner in which the sale and redemption shall be effected, whether or not provision for the same is made in the power.

SEC. 2. Said sale cannot be made legally outside of the province in which the property sold is situated; and in case the place within said province in which the sale is to be made is the subject of stipulation, such sale shall be made in said place or in the municipal building of the municipality in which the property or part thereof is situated."

Here, the real property subject of the sale is situated in Felix Huertas Street, Sta. Cruz, Manila.^[5] Thus, by express provision of Section 2, the sale cannot be made outside of Manila. Moreover, were the intention of the parties be considered with respect to venue in case the properties mortgaged be extrajudicially foreclosed, they even unequivocably stipulated in the Deed of Real Estate Mortgage itself under paragraph 15 that:

It is hereby agreed that in case of foreclosure of this mortgage under Act 3135, as amended by Act 4118, the auction sale, in case of properties situated in the province, shall be held at the capital thereof."^[6]

Respondent judge, therefore, had no valid reason to entertain any doubt as to the propriety of the venue of the auction sale in Manila. The law as well as the intention of the parties cannot be more emphatic in this regard.

Respondent judge, however, refers to the venue stipulation in the Loan Agreement signed by the parties to the effect that, "Any action or suit brought under this Agreement or any other documents related hereto shall be instituted in the proper courts of Makati x x x."^[7] And under the pertinent provisions of Rule 4 of the Rules of Court on Venue of Actions, which provide:

  "Sec. 2. Venue in Courts of First Instance (a) Real actions. Actions affecting title to, or for recovery of possession, or partition or condemnation of, or  foreclosure of mortgage on, real property, shall be commenced and tried in the province where the property or any part thereof lies.

Sec. 3. Venue by agreement. By written agreement of the parties the venue of an action may be changed or transferred from one province to another."

venue of the auction sale should have been laid in Makati as mutually agreed upon by the parties.

Again, in this regard, we reiterate that the law in point here is Act No. 3135, as amended, which is a special law, dealing particularly on extrajudicial foreclosure sales of real estate mortgages, and not the general provisions of the Rules of Court on Venue of Actions. In fact, even Section 5, Rule 4, is quite explicit in stating that:

"When rule not applicable. This rule shall not apply in those cases where a specific rule or law provides otherwise."

The failure of respondent to recognize this is an utter display of ignorance of the law to which he swore to maintain professional competence.^[8] Furthermore, provisions quoted by respondent under Rule 4 pertains to the venue of actions, which an extrajudicial foreclosure is not. Section 1, Rule 2 defines an action in this wise:

"Action means an ordinary suit in a court of justice, by which one party prosecutes another for the enforcement or protection of a right, or the prevention or redress of a wrong."

Hagans v. Wislizenus^[9] does not depart from this definition when it states that "[A]n action is a formal demand of one's legal rights in a court of justice in the manner prescribed by the court or by the law. x x x." It is clear that the determinative or operative fact which converts a claim into an "action or suit" is the filing of the same with a "court of justice." Filed elsewhere, as with some other body or office not a court of justice, the claim may not be categorized under either term.^[10] Unlike an action, an extrajudicial foreclosure of real estate mortgage is initiated by filing a petition not with any court of justice but with the office of the sheriff^[11] of the province where the sale is to be made. By no stretch of the imagination can the office of the sheriff come under the category of a court of justice. And as aptly observed by the complainant, if ever the executive judge comes into the picture, it is only because he exercises administrative supervision over the sheriff. But this administrative supervision, however, does not change the fact that extrajudicial foreclosures are not judicial proceedings, actions or suits.

Granting arguendo that an extrajudicial foreclosure sale can be classified as an "action or suit" (which it is not) and that the venue stipulation in the Loan Agreement would gain relevance, respondent judge still committed a grievous error in holding the auction sale in abeyance due to improper laying of venue. We again quote the subject stipulation for easy reference, to wit:

"14) VENUE OF ACTIONS Any action or suit brought under this Agreement or any other documents related hereto shall be instituted in the proper Courts of Makati, Metro Manila, Republic of the Philippines."

Written stipulations as to venue are either mandatory or permissive. In interpreting stipulations, inquiry must be made as to whether or not the agreement is restrictive in the sense that the suit may be filed only in the place agreed upon or merely permissive in that the parties may file their suits not only in the place agreed upon but also in the places fixed by the rules.^[12]

In Polytrade Corporation v. Blanco,^[13] the stipulation on venue there involved read:

"The parties agree to sue and be sued in the Courts of Manila."

The Court, in ruling that venue had been properly laid in the then Court of First Instance of Bulacan (the place of defendant's residence), said:

"x x x. An accurate reading, however, of the stipulation, 'The parties agree to sue and be sued in the Courts of Manila,' does not preclude the filing of suits in the residence of plaintiff or defendant. The plain meaning is that the parties merely consented to be sued in Manila. Qualifying or restrictive words which would indicate that Manila and Manila alone is the venue are totally absent therefrom. We cannot read into that clause that plaintiff and defendant bound themselves to file suits with respect to the last two transactions in question only or exclusively in Manila. For, that agreement did not change or transfer venue. It simply is permissive. The parties solely agreed to add the courts of Manila as tribunals to which they may resort. They did not waive their right to pursue remedy in the courts specifically mentioned in Section 2 (b) of Rule 4. Renuntiatio non praesumitur."^[14]

In Lamis Ents. v. Lagamon,^[15] the promissory note sued on had the following stipulation:

"In case of litigation, jurisdiction shall be vested in the Court of Davao City."

The collection suit was instituted in the then Court of First Instance of Tagum, Davao, where the defendant resides, and not in Davao City as stipulated. We rejected the defense of improper venue and, citing the case of Polytrade, therein held:

"x x x. Anent the claim that Davao City had been stipulated as the venue, suffice it to say that a stipulation as to venue does not preclude the filing of suits in the residence of plaintiff or defendant under Section 2 (b), Rule 4, Rules of Court, in the absence of qualifying or restrictive words in the agreement which would indicate that the place named is the only venue agreed upon by the parties. The stipulation did not deprive Maningo of his right to pursue remedy in the court specifically mentioned in Section 2 (b)-of Rule 4, Rules of Court, Renuntiatio non praesumitur. x x x."^[16]

In Western Minolco v. Court of Appeals,^[17] the clause on venue read:

"The parties stipulate that the venue of the actions referred to in Section 12.01 [Article XII of the Agreement] shall be in the City of Manila."

The initial action was commenced in the then Court of First Instance of Baguio and Benguet instead of Manila. This Court took the occasion to reiterate once more the Polytrade doctrine:

"x x x. In any event, it is not entirely amiss to restate the doctrine that stipulations in a contract, which specify a definite place for the institution of an action arising in connection therewith, do not, as a rule, supersede the general rules on the matter set out in Rule 4 of the Rules of Court, but should be construed merely as an agreement on an additional forum, not as limiting venue to the specified place.^[18]

It is true that there have been early decisions of the Supreme Court inconsistent with the Polytrade line of cases, notably Bautista v. de Borja.^[19] and Hoechst Philippines, Inc. v. Torres.^[20] However, Lamis Enterprises and Western Minolco followed by Moles v. Intermediate Appellate Court,^[21] Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation v. Sherman,^[22] Nasser v. Court of Appeals,^[23] and Surigao Century Sawmill Co., Inc. v. Court of Appeals^[24] settled the matter by treading the path blazed by Polytrade. Hence, the inevitable conclusion to be drawn, which respondent judge should have appreciated and followed, is that Bautista and Hoechst Philippines have been rendered obsolete by the Polytrade line of cases. Needless to say, the more recent jurisprudence shall be deemed modificatory of the old ones. Restating the settled rule, therefore, as belabored by this Court in Philippine Banking Corporation v. Tensuan,^[25] venue stipulations in a contract, while considered valid and enforceable, do not as a rule supersede the general rule set forth in Rule 4 of the Revised Rules of Court. In the absence of qualifying or restrictive words, they should be considered merely as an agreement on additional forum, not as limiting venue to the specified place. They are not exclusive but, rather permissive.

Notwithstanding the above fundamental considerations, respondent judge still issued the May 25, 1993 Order stopping indefinitely the foreclosure sale scheduled the following day on May 26, 1993. Clearly, he can be held accountable for ignorance of the foregoing jurisprudential developments on the applicable rules governing venue stipulations.

It has been said that when the law transgressed is elementary, the failure to know or observe it constitutes gross ignorance of the law.^[26] In this case, a mere reference by respondent judge to Act No. 3135, as opposed to Rule 4 of the Revised Rules of Court, as well as the Deed of the Real Estate Mortgage itself, would dictate that there is no justification whatsoever for him to hold in abeyance the extrajudicial foreclosure sale scheduled on May 26, 1993 in front of the City Hall of Manila. A judge owes it to the public and to the legal profession to know the very law he is supposed to apply to a given controversy as mandated by the Code of Judicial Conduct.^[27] He is called upon to exhibit more than just a cursory acquaintance with the statutes and procedural rules.^[28] There will be great faith in the administration of justice if there be a belief on the part of the parties that the occupants of the bench cannot justly be accused of an apparent deficiency in their grasp of legal principles.^[29] Unfortunately, respondent judge, instead of inspiring faith and confidence in the administration of justice, committed a rank disservice to its cause when he issued the May 25, 1993 Order based on the inapplicable provisions of the Rules of Court.

As to the second averment of respondent judge, that he issued the May 25, 1993 Order so as to determine the truthfulness of the mortgagor's allegation that the P500,000.00 previously paid to the mortgagee BAID was not duly credited nor deducted from the accounts of the mortgagor, suffice it to state that the same, by no means, provide any justification for the highly questionable actuation of respondent judge in issuing the subject Order. This matter, respondent judge ought to have known, should have been the subject of a proper court action for the purpose of seeking a temporary restraining order with prayer for a possible injunction to stop the scheduled extrajudicial foreclosure sale. Definitely, a mere ex-parte Motion to Hold Auction Sale in Abeyance is not the proper remedy, and this recourse by PQL evinces a clear attempt on its part to shortcut the entire process. Unfortunately, respondent judge fell prey to this scheme, wittingly or unwittingly. Instead of providing some legal justification for his irregular conduct in issuing the questioned Order, this flimsy argument advanced by the respondent judge all the more has convinced this Court of his culpability.

WHEREFORE, the Court, resolving to hold respondent Judge Rosalio G. de la Rosa administratively liable for gross ignorance of the law, imposes on him a FINE of P2,000.00, the same to be deducted from whatever retirement benefits he may be entitled to receive from the government.
SO ORDERED.

Bellosillo, Vitug, and Kapunan, JJ., concur.
Padilla, (Chairman), J., took no part, being a former director and counsel for BAID.

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^[1] Annex "A"; Rollo, pp.7-10.

^[2] Rollo, p. 63.

^[3] Comment, pp. 2-3; Rollo, pp. 23-24.

^[4] See Fiestan v. Court of Appeals, 185 SCRA 751, 756 ^[1990].

^[5] Annex "B"; Rollo, p. 11.

^[6] Annex "A"; Rollo, p. 8.

^[7] Supra.

^[8] Rule 3.01, Canon 3, Code of Judicial Conduct.

^[9] 42 Phil. 880, 882 ^[1920], citing People v. County Judge, 13 How. Pr. [N.Y.], 398.

^[10] Lopez v. Filipinas Compañia de Seguros, 16 SCRA 855, 859 ^[1966].

^[11] See Section 4, Act 3135, as amended.

^[12] Herrera, Oscar M., Remedial Law, Vol. I, 1994 ed., p. 317.

^[13] SCRA 187, 190 ^[1969].

^[14] Ibid., at 191.

^[15] 108 SCRA 740, 743 ^[1981].

^[16] Ibid., at 753-754.

^[17] 167 SCRA 592, 594 ^[1988].

^[18] Ibid., at 598.

^[19] 18 SCRA 474, 477 ^[1966]. Here, the venue stipulation read:

"[I]n case of any litigation, arising [t]herefrom or in connection [t]herewith, the venue of the action shall be in the City of Manila."

The Court read the above stipulation as an agreement to definitely fix the venue of actions arising out of the written contracts sued upon, in the proper courts of the City of Manila and granted dismissal of the complaint. The Court did not seek to analyze the stipulation; not finding any clause reserving to the parties the right of election, the Court surmised that the agreement was one requiring venue to be laid in one place only, to the exclusion of other competent tribunals.

^[20] 83 SCRA 297, 299 ^[1978]. In this case, the venue clause provided:

"[I]n case of any litigation arising out of this agreement, the venue of anyaction shall be in the competent courts of the Province of Rizal."

The Supreme Court, through Mr. Justice Barredo, followed the case of Bautista v. de Borja (supra.) and interpreted the venue clause as an agreement requiring venue to be laid in only one place, i.e., the Province of Rizal, and sustained the trial court's dismissal of the action for improper venue. The Court said that

"No further stipulations are necessary to elicit the thought that both parties agreed that any action by either of them would be filed only in the competent courts of Rizal province exclusively." (83 SCRA at 301).

^[21] 169 SCRA 777, 785 ^[1989].

^[22] 176 SCRA 331, 337 ^[1989].

^[23] 191 SCRA 783, 792 ^[1990].

^[24] 218 SCRA 619, 623 ^[1993].

^[25] 230 SCRA 413, 420 ^[1994].

^[26] See Agcaoili v. Ramos, 229 SCRA 705, 710 ^[1994], citing Santos v. Judge Isidro, 200 SCRA 597 ^[1991].

^[27] Canon 3, Rule 3.01 A judge in accordance with his sworn duties should be faithful to the law and maintain professional competence in it. Canon 3, Rule 3.02 In every case, a judge shall endeavor diligently to ascertain the fact and the applicable law unswayed by partisan interests, public opinion or fear of criticism.

^[28] De los Santos-Reyes v. Montesa, Jr., 247 SCRA 85, 96 ^[1995].

^[29] Mamolo Sr. v. Narisma, 252 SCRA 613, 618-619 ^[1996].