The Supreme Court has fired a Manila judge for allowing a convicted drugs trafficker, held on non-bailable charges, the right to temporary freedom to seek medical treatment.

Judge Manuel Muro was fired and stripped of all his benefits, and barred from holding government posts.

The Supreme Court found the judge, "guilty of gross misconduct constituting violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct, for being utterly inefficient and for manifesting partiality".

In particular, Muro was dismissed for allowing convicted drug trafficker, Yu Yuk Lai, also known as the 'drug queen', to leave jail when the crime she was charged with is non-bailable. Yu was charged with drug trafficking after police found her in possession of three kilos of shabu.

She was found gambling for high stakes at a casino in Manila shortly after Muro allowed her temporary liberty, supposedly to seek medical treatment.

"When he threw caution to the wind in favour of Yu Yuk Lai, he effectively manifested partiality. Undoubtedly, the respondent judge has impaired the image of the judiciary to which he owes loyalty and obligation to keep it at all times above suspicion and worthy of the people's trust," the Supreme Court added.

Muro is the second member of the judiciary to be dismissed after Court of Appeals Justice, Demetrio Demetria.

The Supreme Court held that Muro, "opened himself to suspicion of partiality when he exhibited extraordinary leniency and an indulgent attitude towards Yu."

Records showed that Yu's aliment was not that serious as to merit her confinement, which in effect indicated that Muro "willfully and deliberately disregarded the rules to favour Yu".

On September 25, Yu was sentenced by Judge Teresa Soriano to life imprisonment after she was found in possession of three kilos of methamphetamine hydrochloride, a prohibited drug popularly known in the Philippines as shabu, in 1997.