Court’s jurisdiction over civil rap vs Bing questioned

BACOLOD City – Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia and 17 other respondents in the civil complaint filed in relation to the city government’s P1.7-billion loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) questioned the Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 44’s jurisdiction to hear the case.

The respondents said the docket fee the complainants paid was not enough, according to City Legal Officer Joselito Bayatan.

Instead of only P7,000, the complainants should have paid “millions” since the case involves a billion-peso loan, added Bayatan.

Having raised this, Bayatan said the RTC rescheduled the first hearing set on Feb. 13 to give the respondents five days to file a proper motion.

Former vice mayor Jude Thaddeus Sayson, former councilor Jocelle Batapa-Sigue and businessman Antonio Wong filed the civil complaint, claiming that no proper public hearing was conducted regarding the loan contract.

They filed the case on Jan. 18 against Leonardia; Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran; councilors Caesar Distrito, Cindy Rojas, Renecito Novero, Em Ang, Elmer Sy, Ana Marie Palermo, Dindo Ramos, Bartolome Orola, Sonya Verdeflor, Lady Gles Gonzale-Pallen, and Ayesha Joy Villaflor; City Council Secretary Vicente Petierre III; City Treasurer Giovanni Balalilhe; City Budget Officer Maria Imelda Williams; City Accountant Corazon Cardel; and DBP-Negros Occidental Lending Center head Bernardo Catillion Jr.

The loan is intended to fund four flagship projects of the Leonardia administration – the P350-million development of the Progreso Village Relocation Site, P350-million development of the Bacolod City College, P800-million construction of the Bacolod MassKara Coliseum, and the P200-million road and bridge construction program.

The civil complaint included a prayer for a temporary restraining order, preliminary injunction, and/or preliminary mandatory injunction, said Atty. Cesar Beloria Jr., speaking in behalf of Sayson, Batapa-Sigue and Wong.

The complainants also sought certiorari, prohibition and annulment of the loan contract between the city government and DBP./PN

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