Asia Brewery wins bottle case vs San Miguel Corp.

A Lucio Tan-owned beverage firm has won its 14-year-old damage suit against rival San Miguel Corp. (SMC).

In a decision, the Court of Appeals directed SMC to pay Asia Brewery Inc. (ABI) over P68 million for illegally collecting and hoarding millions of glass bottles of ABI products and plastic crates in 1997.

The amount was just over half the P130-million award the Marikina City regional trial court granted to ABI.

In a 12-page ruling, the appellate court reversed its Sept. 15, 2010, resolution that granted SMC’s petition questioning the Marikina City Regional Trial Court order of Nov. 28, 2008, that directed SMC to compensate ABI for its unfair trade practices.

“We declare that SMC truly committed unfair trade acts or practices with reference to the shells and bottles found in its possession but not covered by a ‘swapping agreement,’” the court said.

Associate Justices Noel Tijam, Isaias Dicdican and Normandie Pizzaro concurred in the ruling penned by Associate Justice Danton Bueser. Dissenting was Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison. Marlon Ramos