The regional trial court judge handling the expropriation case filed by More Electric and Power Corp. against Panay Electric Co. wants the case transferred outside of Iloilo City because it has become too politicized.
“This case has been observed to (be) too politicized. It may be respectfully suggested for the best interest of the parties that this case be transferred outside the jurisdiction of the Regional Trial Court of Iloilo to be tried and heard by the designated judge herein,” Judge Daniel Antonio Gerardo Amular of the Regional Trial Court of Iloilo, Branch 35 said.
Amular issued the statement in response to the administrative complaint filed against him in the Supreme Court on December 12 by MORE president Roel Castro and counsel Hector Teodosio.
MORE wants to remove Amular as the judge handling the expropriation of the distribution assets of PECO, whose franchise expired in January last year.
The new utility owns the franchise to distribute electricity in Iloilo City after the president approved and signed its franchise in February last year.
Castro and Teodosio asked the SC to remove Amular after accusing him of grave misconduct, gross ignorance of the law and violation of the Code of Judicial Ethics in relation to Amular’s handling of the expropriation case.
The two MORE Power officials alleged that Amular had delayed resolution of the case in favor of PECO as shown by his order to MORE to agree to a settlement of the case with PECO during a meeting with Castro and a PECO official in his chamber in September. Alena Mae S. Flores
MORE also cited Amular’s decision to ignore the writ of possession issued by the previous Iloilo City RTC judge who handled the expropriation case, Judge Yvette Go, as provided under Republic Act No. 11212 which granted MORE a 25-year franchise as electricity distribution utility in Iloilo City.