HINATULAN bilang guilty ng Manila Regional Trial Court si Atty. Lorna Patajo-Kapunan sa kasong unjust vexation kaugnay sa kanyang pahayag laban kay University of Santo Tomas (UST) Faculty of Civil Law Dean and Divina Law managing partner Nilo Divina.
Sa desisyong may petsang Hulyo 24, hinatulan ni Manila RTC Branch 11 Judge Cicero Jurado, Jr. si Kapunan ng 30-araw na pagkabilanggo at pagbabayad ng mahigit P2 milyon bilang damages, P1 milyon bawat isa para sa moral at exemplary damages, at P500,000 para sa attorney’s fees.
Matatandaan, unang inabsuwelto si Kapunan ni Metropolitan Trial Court of Manila Branch 17 Judge Karla Funtila-Abugan, ngunit binaligtad ito ni Jurado, makaraang makitang may merito ang
kaso.
“After a meticulous perusal of the decision, order and record of this case, the Court is convinced that there is merit in this petition,” pahayag ni Jurado.
Ang kaso ay nag-ugat sa panayam kay Kapunan na ipinalabas ng ANC noong Oktubre 27, 2017, hinggil sa fatal hazing kay UST Law student Horacio “Atio” Castillo III ng mga miyembro ng Aegis
Juris Fraternity noong Setyembre 2017.
Nabatid sa unang resolusyon ng Department of Justice, iginiit ni Kapunan na nakagawa ng krimen si Divina sa dahil ni-recruit ng huli si Castillo para sa nasabing fraternity at kinanlong ang mga
miyembro na nagsagawa ng hazing na nagresulta sa pagkamatay ng 22-anyos na biktima.
“It is apparent that the private respondent’s statement is annoying and vexations to petitioner Divina. The term ‘obstructionist’ is upsetting to him,” pahayag ni Jurado sa kanyang ruling.
Ipinunto ni Jurado na ang naunang ruling “disregarded the material prosecution’s evidence and that it was not categorically established that Castillo’s parents denied knowing Divina and that he was the one who recruited their son.”
“Then in the ANC interview, private respondent mentioned petitioner as coddling the fraternity members who allegedly participated in the initiation rites of Atio immediately after the latter’s
death,” aniya.
“However, she could not substantiate her declaration in the said ANC interview. She only mentioned that she has a ‘credible source’.” Dagdag ni Jurado, ang criminal charges na inihain ng mga magulang ni Castillo laban kay Divina ay ibinasura ng DOJ, na umano’y binalewala ng naunang ruling. “To the judicial eye and, applying the definition of Unjust vexation to the arguments of petitioner, there can be no other conclusion that indeed there is unjust vexation,” dagdag pa ni Jurado. (RENE CRISOSTOMO)
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