Court trial against Sulpicio Lines yet to begin

CLOSE to three years after the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars, the court trial against the ship’s management hasn’t formally started yet.

A pre-trial conference was supposed to be held yesterday to thresh out the issues to be contested in the court battle.

However, the proceeding was stalled due to pleadings that have yet to be resolved by the court.

Lawyer Arthur Lim, counsel for Sulpicio Lines Inc. (SLI) (presently named Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corp.), requested the court to resolve pending motions before proceedings with the pre-trial conference.

Lim is seeking the intervention of the executive judge to compel the complainants to pay docket/filing fees in court.

Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras of Branch 10 earlier denied the motion to dismiss filed by the shipping company which contested the non-payment of filing fees.

The Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) noted that they didn’t have to pay docket fees in court since the complainants were considered “indigent” clients.

Under Republic Act 9406 or an Act Reorganizing and Strengthening the PAO, the agency may represent an indigent client even if the case is adverse to a public officer, government office, agency, or instrumentality so long as the case is meritorious.

SLI also complained about the failure of PAO chief Persida Rueda-Acosta to sign all the complaints filed against the company.

But Acosta said she doesn’t have to personally sign all the complaints as she may delegate it to her subordinates.

“Persida Acosta is not the PAO itself. The PAO is composed of about 1,500 lawyers nationwide,” Acosta said in open court.

She said the pleadings filed by SLI is intended to delay resolution of the cases.

The pre-trial conference is moved to July 14.

About 63 cases were filed in the Cebu City court against SLI over the sinking of the MV Princess of the Stars, the company’s flagship vessel, on June 21, 2008. The cases were consolidated and remain pending before Judge Peras.

Thirty people, composed of victims’ relatives and families, attended the court proceedings yesterday.

Acosta and Fr. Robert Reyes, who has been supporting the group, accompanied them at the proceedings.

The MV Princess of the Stars capsized off Romblon at the height of Typhoon Frank while enroute to Cebu City with 820 people on board on June 21, 2008. Only 32 survived. ADOR VINCENT S. MAYOL