[ journal.com.ph ] September 9, 2008
THE Court of Appeals reversed a decision of the Antipolo Regional Trial Court which earlier issued a writ of execution ordering the Cainta municipal government to pay P220 million as compensation for the expropriation of the property which now houses the municipal building.
In a ruling penned by Justice Bienvenido Reyes, the appellate court found credence in the position of the municipality of Cainta that the compromise agreement executed by then owner United Cigaret Corp. and the previous local administration was valued beyond the original agreed price of P1,000 per square meter and was eventually invalidated by the lower court.
“This is the case of truth and justice prevailing over political sabotage,” Cainta Mayor Ramon Ilagan said. “After learning about the lower court’s order, I told my lawyers to immediately file an appeal because we simply cannot allow this to happen and watch Cainta lose millions of pesos in a lopsided ruling” he said.
The UCC filed a case against the municipality of Cainta for just compensation after the take over of its property in 1990.
The parties set the price at P1,000 per square meter. For reasons unknown to the court, the parties inflated the valuation for the property to P7,000 per square meter or a total consideration of P220.129 million.
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