Batangas firm cries foul over insurance ruling

A Batangas-based steel firm on Wednesday sought the inhibition of three Court of Appeals justices for their alleged “manifest bias, partiality and prejudice” in stopping the release of close to $42 million of its claims from five insurance firms.

In a letter to Presiding Justice Andres Reyes Jr., the Steel Corp. of the Philippines (SCP) accused Associate Justices Fernanda Peralta, Priscilla Baltazar-Padilla and Agnes Reyes-Carpio of violating the antigraft law when they declared as null and void the June 1, 2011, decision of Batangas Regional Trial Court Judge Ruben Galvez.

Nonnatus Chua, SCP legal counsel, also questioned the “indecent haste” with which the appellate court’s order was served, “less than four hours” after the resolution was promulgated on Feb. 8.

“The (three justices) clearly acted with manifest partiality, evident bad faith and gross inexcusable negligence,” Chua said in his letter.

Chua said the justices believed the argument of the five insurance firms—Mapfre Insular Insurance Corp., New India Assurance Co. Ltd., Philippine Charter Insurance Corp., Malayan Insurance Co. Inc. and Asia Insurance Phil. Corp.—“without even asking them to support their claim with concrete evidence.”