Romero chides rival firm over antics in court

The group of businessman Reghis Romero II, which operates the Manila Harbor Center Port, on Friday lashed out at its erstwhile service provider for its numerous motions for inhibition against judges and justice who have issued adverse rulings against it.

In a statement, the Harbour Centre Port Terminal Inc. (HCPTI), headed by Romero, described the motions filed by One Source Port Services Inc. as a “desperate attempt” to wrest control over the 10-hectare port facility in Manila’s North Harbor area.

One Source has alleged ties with Romero’s estranged son Michael, whose group is contesting his father’s control of HCPTI. An intra-corporate dispute between them is pending before a Manila court.

“It has become the habit of One Source and Michael Romero to seek a judge’s inhibition from hearing their case whenever they would get an adverse ruling or sense an unfavorable ruling,” HCPTI said.

The company said One Source and Michael have filed at least 10 motions for inhibition of judges and justices hearing the many cases in relation to the port dispute.

The latest motion for inhibition was filed by One Source president Cyrus Paul Valenzuela against Court of Appeals Justice Noel Tijam, citing the latter’s alleged close ties to the elder Romero. Valenzuela based the alleged partiality on a favorable ruling the justice rendered in favor of Romero in a separate case way back in 2010.

“For the nth time, our opponent has again moved to inhibit a magistrate handling our many cases. This latest inhibition does not anymore surprise us because it has become their habit of immediately seeking a judge’s inhibition after they get an unfavorable ruling. This is an apparent desperate measure to advance their case before our courts,” HCPTI said.

The company claimed the allegation on Tijam’s partiality was “unfounded” and “aimed at putting the entire judiciary in a bad light.”

Earlier this year, One Source also moved for the inhibition of Justice Danton Bueser, after the three-member court division of which he was a member issued a temporary restraining writ of preliminary injunction enjoining One Source and Michael Romero from taking over the port.

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