By Benjamin Pulta/PNA
MANILA — The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld its earlier decision for a lower court to proceed with the indictment of a party-list lawmaker and several others for illegally refilling liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) tanks.
In a seven-page resolution Associate Justice Marlene Gonzales-Sison, the CA’s Special Former 15th Division said Liquefied Petroleum Gas Marketers’ Association (LPGMA) party-list Rep. Arnel Ty, Marie Antonette Ty, Benson Ng, Carlton Ng, and Alvin Ty failed to raise grounds to warrant the reversal of the appellate court’s original ruling.
In its June 22, 2018 decision, the CA set aside the order issued by the Pasig regional trial court (RTC), which granted the Office of the Prosecutor’s motion to withdraw the information against Ty and co-petitioners for violation of Section 3 (d) of Batas Pambansa Blg. 33 or “An Act Defining and Penalizing Certain Prohibited Acts Inimical to the Public Interest and National Security Involving Petroleum and/or Petroleum Products, Prescribing Penalties therefor and for other Purposes.”
The appellate court said the trial court failed to give a detailed assessment of the evidence in its order to support the dismissal of the case. The CA directed the Pasig RTC to conduct further proceedings in said cases.
