Rallos heirs sue city for contempt

CEBU, Philippines - The clash between the heirs of Rev. Fr. Vicente Rallos and Cebu City over the judgment debt worth P133,469,962.55 for compensation of property used continues to worsen.

This after Lucina Rallos filed a civil case against Cebu City and all its lawyers to cite them for direct contempt.

“Defendant City of Cebu and all its lawyers who filed omnibus motion and supplemental motion and who asserted the grounds mentioned in the said motions have committed disrespect towards the Honorable Court and must therefore, be summarily adjudged in contempt,” complaint reads.

Lucina said the court orders and resolutions were declared final and executory but Cebu City continuously challenged the order of the court by filing motions.

Earlier, Lucina also filed an indirect contempt against Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Cebu Daily News acting editor-in-chief Eileen Mangubat and chief of reporters Doris Bongcac.

This after Rama allegedly made a statement which was published in that newspaper last July 13 that the Ralloses had unpaid tax obligations over the lot property.

Lucina said the statement of Rama was in violation of the subjudice rule and is punishable for indirect contempt.

“On the decision dated January 14, 2000 clearly declared, the lot subjects of the case were appropriated by the City of Cebu and were converted by it into public roads without expropriation and without payment of just compensation,” she said.

Lucina added the order of the court was declared final and executory in 2000 and the statement of Rama of alleged unpaid tax obligations was equivalent to saying that the decision dated January 14, 2000 “may be simply ignored or has no legal and binding effect.”

The court ordered the City of Cebu to pay the heirs of Rallos P133,469,962.55 in compensation for the property used as a public road in Barangay Sambag I. (FREEMAN)