Court orders bizman arrested

CEBU, Philippines - The court has ordered the arrest of the manager and an employee of an event and production company for not attending hearings of criminal case that stemmed from their failure to fill-up a National Statistics Office survey of enterprise in 2011.

Acting Branch 4 Presiding Judge Alberto Pita of the Municipal Trial Court in Cities in Cebu City issued the warrant of arrest against Johnson Lo Jr. and Rhomie Belandres of Red Tag Events & Production in Sunset Drive, Lahug.

The case stemmed from the criminal complaint filed by Provincial Statistics Officer Firmo Diputado and District Statistics Officer Juanilla Premne on December 14, 2012.

In her affidavit-complaint, NSO-7 Statistical Coordination Officer Estela Rosales alleged that Lo, who has supervision and control over Belandres, failed to accomplish the questionnaire of the Survey of Enterprises in the Philippines (SEP) given on August 23, 2012.

In a December 10, 2012 demand letter, Rosales warned Lo that failure to accomplish the questionnaire would force their office to pursue a case against them pursuant to Commonwealth Act No. 591.

Section 3 of the Act provides that “Any person who fails or refuses to accomplish, mail, or deliver such questionnaire or form received by him to the Bureau of the Census and Statistics within thirty days of its receipt by him… shall, upon conviction, be punished by a fine of not more than six hundred pesos or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both.—Gregg M. Rubio/RHM (FREEMAN)