The legal counsel of MORE Electric and Power Corporation (MORE Power) refused to comment on the statement issued by Judge Antonio Gerardo Amular of the Iloilo Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 35.

“I am sorry to inform members of media that I cannot make the appropriate response as the issues on the administrative complaint and the transfer of venue are now with the Office of the Court Administrator of the Supreme Court,” said lawyer Hector P. Teodosio.

Amular, in his statement issued on Jan. 2, claimed that the administrative complaint filed against him by MORE Power is “based on allegations.

“It is a basic legal precept that he who alleges must prove, and that mere allegations by themselves would not be given weight because it does not amount to evidence,” he said.

MORE Power represented by its legal counsel Atty. Hector P. Teodosio and Chief Executive Officer Roel Castro lodged the complaint before the Supreme Court (SC) in December last year.

The power firm owned by billionaire Enrique Razon Jr. sued Amular for grave misconduct, gross ignorance of the law, and violation of the Code of Judicial Conduct.

Amular handles the expropriation case filed by MORE Power against Panay Electric Co. (PECO), the current power distributor in Iloilo City.

The presiding judge also narrated his conversation with Teodosio on Dec 3, 2019.

Amular said Teodosio approched him and showed a copy of the Temporary Restraining Order (TRO) issued by the SC en banc, stopping the implementation of the Mandaluyong RTC’s ruling, which declared Sections 10 and 17 of Republic Act (RA) No. 11212 “void and unconstitutional”, and made permanent a TRO it issued on March 14, 2019.

“Thereafter, Atty. Teodosio pleaded to the presiding judge to just inhibit himself from the case.”

“The presiding judge inquired from him (Teodosio) why he wanted to inhibit the presiding judge. Atty. Teodosio told the presiding judge that he was being pressured by his client. The presiding judge advised Atty. Teodosio to wait for the SC decision, which his client itself filed before the SC questioning the decision of the Mandaluyong RTC.”

“During the exchange of conversation inside the staff room where several members of the Court’s staff were present and who witnessed and heard the conversation, Atty. Teodosio reasoned out that the presiding judge being his friend, he would not want the ‘friendship’ to be affected. The presiding judge told Atty. Teodosio that the former has no basis to inhibit himself.”

“Sensing that the presiding judge would not budge, Atty. Teodosio showed to the presiding judge a copy of complaint he prepared and told the presiding judge that he has not yet signed the complaint addressed to the Supreme Court.”

“The presiding judge told Atty. Teodosio, ‘Are you trying to blackmail the presiding judge?’ The presiding judge further told Atty. Teodosio that he would be filing a disbarment case against him for his unethical behavior.”

In Nov. 2018, Amular issued an order suspending further proceedings” in the expropriation case filed by MORE Power.

The presiding judge also suggested to transfer the case outside of the jurisdiction of the Iloilo RTC.

“The case has been observed to have become too politicized,” said Amular. IMT