Korean defies CA order on Makati condo row

MANILA, Philippines - A Korean businessman has defied a Court of Appeals (CA) ruling dismissing his company’s ownership over the Infinity Tower Condominium in Makati City.

A three-page sheriff’s report to the 15th Division of the appellate court showed that Seokwhan Hahn, executive of Archinet International Inc., refused to yield the management of the condominium when the CA ruling was served last week.

On June 17, the CA upheld the ownership of Filipino-led Optimax International Corp. headed by Joaquin Rodriguez over the contested property.

Makati sheriff Rommel Ignacio said Hahn and Nicolo de los Angeles, who introduced himself as the building administrator, confronted him and started a commotion.

“Mr. Hahn came out of his room and confronted me as I asked him to leave the premises. At the height of the argument, De los Angeles grabbed my arm,” Ignacio said in his report to the CA.

He said De los Angeles and his staff eventually obeyed the court order.

Hahn, on the other hand, locked himself up in a unit with his bodyguards.

In its ruling penned by Associate Justice Zenaida Galapate-Laguilles, the CA struck down the complaints of De los Angeles and Hahn against Optimax for violating the rule on forum shopping.

It also denied the plea of petitioners for their clients to be given unhampered access to their condominium units.

The CA held that Archinet engaged in forum shopping by filing another petition with the Mandaluyong regional trial court when they failed to get a temporary restraining order from the Makati RTC to stop the Optimax group from taking over the property.

The Korean firm elevated the case to the CA, which eventually dismissed their petition and upheld the ownership of Optimax over Infinity Tower.