THE Supreme Court (SC) has issued a status quo ante (SQA) order enjoining the National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP) from taking possession of a portion of the Social Security Service (SSS) property worth P1.4 billion at the Financial Center area in Pasay City.
The SQA order was issued through a resolution issued by the SC’s Third Division, chaired by Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco Jr. on June 21, 2017, and signed and promulgated
by Division Clerk of Court Wilfredo Lapitan.
“The Court further resolves to grant petitioner’s prayer for the issuance of status quo ante order and/or writ of preliminary injunction and to issue a status quo ante order effective immediately as of this date and continuing until further orders from this court,” the SC document reads.
The Court also directed the respondents NGCP to file its comment (not a motion to dismiss) within a nonextendible period of 10 days from notice.
The NGCP, in a statement, said: “We will answer the allegations of SSS as directed by the Supreme Court.”
“NGCP conducts its business in full compliance with applicable laws, rules and regulations, and in accordance with the concession agreement and its franchise under Republic Act 9511. We are confident that the Supreme Court will see this and rule accordingly.”
The SSS sought the issuance of an SQA order and/or a writ of preliminary mandatory injunction to enjoin Judge Gina M. Bibat-Palamos, acting presiding judge of the Pasay City Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 108, from implementing its orders issued on March 2 and April 24.
In its March 2 order, the RTC in Pasay granted NGCP’s urgent motion for the issuance of a writ of possession of the 60,872-square-meter property of the SSS in Pasay City valued at P1.46 billion, pending resolution of its complaint for expropriation.
The RTC in Pasay denied the SSS’s motion for reconsideration in a resolution issued on April 24.