Mikee Romero appeals court injunction vs. control of Harbour Centre

The camp of 1-Pacman party-list Rep. Michael Romero has asked the Court of Appeals (CA) to set aside a Quezon City court injunction that prevented him from claiming ownership of family-owned Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. (HCPTI).

The lawmaker and his representatives from Harbour Centre Port Holdings Inc. (HCPHI) were stopped from staking claims on HCPTI after his father, Reghis Romero II, secured a writ of preliminary injunction from Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 222 Judge Edgar Santos on January 5.

The judge said the younger Romero seemed to have falsified documents in claiming ownership of HCPTI.

In a petition filed on February 27, HCPHI said Santos' order was issued in grave abuse of discretion as it "directly contradicts and disregards the earlier resolution of the CA which already passed upon the validity of the deeds of assignments subject of this case."

HCPHI was referring to a CA decision last year that affirmed the validity of two deeds of assignment issued by the older Romero's R-II Builders in 2011 transferring its majority shares totaling to 689,258,653 or 68.11 percent to his son's firm.

HCPHI alleged that Santos "brazenly ignored the CA decision, despite the inferior jurisdiction of his court, and doubted the 'authenticity' of the two deeds of assignments based on supposed 'legal infirmities'."

The younger Romero's camp said that the CA affirmed this ruling in a resolution last January 12, a copy of which was supposedly given to the Quezon City court.

"As far as this Honorable Court of Appeals is concerned, there is no evidence so clear, strong and convincing as to exclude all controversy as to the falsity of the two deeds of assignments, the presumption of the regularity of execution of which was affirmed by this Honorable Court. The public respondent (Judge Santos) has no jurisdiction and authority to review and interfere with this factual and legal pronouncement," the petition stated.

HCPHI also said that the judge's order was inconsistent with an earlier order issued by another court, Quezon City RTC Branch 90 under Judge Reynaldo Daway, which denied the injunction application of R-II Builders in December 2015.

Santos also allegedly violated rules and procedure because no hearing was conducted before the issuance of the assailed order, and he did not allow the presentation of evidence necessary in the grant of preliminary injunction.

HCPHI asked the CA to issue a temporary restraining order enjoining the implementation of the lower court's order pending resolution of the petition. —KBK, GMA News