CA in Cebu turns 4, vows to restore integrity

CEBU - The Court of Appeals here in Cebu celebrated its fourth anniversary yesterday with three more justices joining the appellate court here.

The three include Justices Florito Macalino, Edgardo delos Santos, and Rodil Zalameda.

In his speech yesterday, Presiding Justice Conrado Vasquez Jr. of the Court of Appeals in Manila said the CA is bent on restoring its integrity and proving its efficiency amidst the recent issues that have placed the appellate court in a bad light.

Vasquez said “court losers” who may attempt to destroy the CA’s integrity will not succeed with their agenda.

“Despite the painful and unpleasant experience, we will still stand with the issues and overcome it and we will show to them the real nature of the Court of Appeals, no matter how painful the battle will be. We are scarred, but fully healed and strengthened,” Vasquez said.

The recent controversy the rocked the appellate court was the issue on the case of Government System Insurance System against the Manila Electric Company, which dragged the name of some CA Justices to negative publicity.

The GSIS-Meralco bribery case is a political controversy and pending with the Supreme Court.

The case began with a complaint filed by GSIS with the Securities and Exchange Commission questioning the unvalidated proxy votes used by the Lopez family in the last board election of the Manila Electric Company.

SEC subsequently issued a Cease and Desist Order against Meralco, which the latter ignored. SEC then issued a Show Cause Order that Meralco questioned before the Court of Appeals.

CA issued a Temporary Restraining Order against SEC while the Special 9th Division composed of Associate Justices Vicente Roxas, Jose Sabio Jr. and Myrna Dimaranan Vidal heard the case. Roxas was assigned as the ponente while Sabio was the acting chairman.

Later, Sabio called a press conference and alleged that an emissary of Meralco tried to bribe him with P10 Million to have the case transferred to another appeals court justice.

In the latter course of the investigation, Sabio let slip that his brother, PCGG Chairman Camilo Sabio, reportedly called him up twice to urge him to side favorably with the government.

The late admission of the allegedly unethical and criminal action called into doubt the innocence of Sabio in coming forward with his expose and the veracity of his entire story. — Jasmin R. Uy/JMO (THE FREEMAN)