Ex-dealer told to pay Petron P.2 M

MANILA, Philippines - The Court of Appeals (CA) has ordered a former operator-dealer of the Petron Corp. gas station in Sta. Mesa, Manila to pay more than P200,000 in damages and attorney’s fees to the oil firm and the company’s lawyers, saying that Petron had acted in good faith when they took over the gas station in 2000.

In a 22-page decision by Associate Justices Antonio Villamor and Danton Bueser, the CA Special 13th Division reversed a Manila court’s ruling and ordered Dr. Amanda Cruz to pay P20,000 to each defendant-appellant as exemplary damages and P100,000 for attorney’s fees to them. She was also ordered to immediately vacate the premises, since the lease contract she agreed upon with Petron had expired in 1992.

The civil case originally started in 2000, when Petron took over the gasoline in Sta. Mesa. Soon after, Cruz sued Petron, claiming that Petron officials, their legal officials and 40 to 50 armed security guards forced out her staff and paralyzed the station’s operations.