It’s an old order, not new

Letter to the Editor

WE are shocked with the seeming “news,” written by your reporter Lito Rulona entitled “Court trashes San Miguel folk petition”—as if that story just came out recently or yesterday. Mr. Roluna was referring to or quoting, erroneously at that, an Order issued by Judge Jeoffre W. Acebedo way back in Dec. 3, 2014 yet, or almost one year ago. That order came out yesterday as news!

What makes it additionally shocking is that it misquoted the entire Order and even conveniently omitted this paragraph in Acebedo’s order stating thus:

“Defendants Mindanao Health Corporation, thru counsel, manifested that they had ceased and desisted from continuing the earth works on the road as the Community and Natural Resources Office and the Office of the City Mayor have already issued a cease and desist order, a fact confirmed by the plaintiff’s counsel.”

This paragraph does not appear in Rulona’s news article, as if there is nothing that could now stop Mindanao Health Care from doing further excavation. This deliberate omission which Rulona could not have missed if he has a copy of Acebedo’s order smacks of an evil and malicious intent, which anomalous mediamen like Rulona, can only concoct.

He makes it appear and encloses with quotation marks phrases and words that does not appear in Acebedo’s order and even wrongly makes reference to the Revised Penal Code which Acebedo does not mention at all. Rulona appears very malicious, funny, and stupid, we must say.

It is on record that we have filed a petition for inhibition against Acebedo on the ground that he was a co-witness of a logger politician’s last will and testament and whose legal counsel was Atty. Jose Sabio, whose brother in law, Atty. Noel Beja, is a director of Mindanao Health Care Corporation, even as we expressed trust in Acebedo’s integrity. The case has been delayed by the fire at the Hall of Justice, and needs to be reconstituted so we can file additional pleading before the new sala so that a restraining order or preliminary injunction can be pursued by our clients through a motion for reconsideration. Nevertheless, even if the judge had refused to issue a restraining order, still the Stoppage Order  issued by Oscar Moreno and Clenro Edwin Dael commands the corporation to stop excavating. Furthermore, for Rulona’s information, the city council has approved a resolution for the expropration of the road right of way, signed by the mayor, and have allocated the budget for that purpose, an added  reason why no further excavation can be done.

As subsequent events would show, despite the Stoppage Order and the corporation’s pretense that they have ceased from further excavation, the latter has brazenly and illegally excavated the area with the tolerance of the police authorities, a sad situation, and seriously endangering the houses and lives of the San Miguel residents if and when the hill would finally collapse.

We are enclosing herewith a copy of Acebedo’s order, and we hope that this letter-clarification would be given equal prominence in your distinguished paper. Thank you. —Atty. Evangeline T. Carrasco, Atty. Mariano B. Carrasco