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The Pasay City regional trial court has settled the last legal issue
involving the leadership in the P14-billion Air Materiel Wing
Savings and Loan Association, Inc. with the dismissal of the case
filed by former directors who were disqualified to run as members of
the board of trustees in 2005.
In an order issued by Judge Eugenio dela Cruz,
the trial court dismissed “for being moot and academic” the
petition filed by the group of retired Col. Luvin Manay in line with
the Supreme Court ruling that validated the results of the Jan. 18,
2008 election held by more than 220,000 association members.
In 2005, Manay, together with Antonio Mantuano,
Jose Elaurza, Johnson Ocfemia and Anselmo Geronimo, challenged
before the Pasay City court their disqualification to run as members
of the board of trustees.
From that case, the legal issue was elevated to
the Court of Appeals, and finally to the High Court.
In 2007, the High Court, in effect, annulled the
election held in 2005 and ruled that Manay and his four
associates,—together with Ricardo Nolasco Jr., Morado Mercado and
Thaddeus Estalilla who were elected in 2005—should sit as holdover
members of the association’s of trustees until an election is
held.
Earlier, the High Court declared valid the Jan.
18, 2008 elections as it denied with finality a motion to annul the
elections filed by the group of Manay.
With the ruling, the High Court validated the
election to the association’s board of trustees of retired Col.
Ricardo Nolasco Jr., Thaddeus Estalilla, Morado Mercado, Ismael Abad,
Ricardo Perido, Angel Tapac, Antonio Gumba and Cesar Toledanes. They
and the three directors earlier elected—Rolando Cacabelos, Odelon
Mendoza and Cedric Reyes—now compose the 11-member board of
trustees.
In its resolution, the High Court said that
since the stability of the association is at stake, it is necessary
to once and for all settle the almost three-year leadership row in
the soldiers’ fund.
-- William B. Depasupil
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