Makati court resumes hearing on TRO today

Barring any postponement, the Makati Regional Trial Court is expected to resume today its hearing on the case involving the Philippine Chess Federation’s petition for a Temporary Restraining Order to stop the National Chess Federation of the Philippines-backed team from participating in the World Chess Olympiad.

Presiding judge Ricardo Rosario of Makati RTC Branch 66 reset last Friday’s scheduled hearing to 2 p.m. today with the NCFP counsel set to cross-examine PCF president Jess Ingeniero.

The PCF had sought a TRO to stop the NCFP team from competing in the Olympiad set to start Friday in Turkey, although five of the six members of the squad, led by GM Rogelio Antonio, Jr., already left the country last Thursday.

The TRO is also aimed at preventing the Philippine Sports Commission from extending financial assistance to the NCFP squad although the government’s sports body had already released the fund worth P700,000 despite having had knowledge of the PCF’s petition for a TRO.

But Judge Rosario rebuked the NCFP players for leaving the country without following a court proceeding and reprimanded the PSC for releasing the fund.

In filing the case, the PCF said the NCFP had "unrightly disenfranchised the PCF as the sole governing chess body in the country."