Philippine Appeals Court junks petition vs. Army Navy Club casino conversion

The Philippine Court of Appeals (CA) threw out a petition seeking to stop the conversion of the historic Army and Navy Club (ANC) in Manila into a boutique hotel and a casino gaming facility.

Business Mirror reported that the petition of Volunteers Against Crime and Corruption was instantly dismissed by the appellate court’s 15th division on the grounds that they group violated the principle on the hierarchy of courts.

Associate Justice Ramon Garcia of the CA’s 15th division pointed out in his six-page resolution that the Manila City Government’s execution of the lease contract with Oceanville Hotel cannot be considered a judicial, quasi-judicial or ministerial action that can be a subject of a petition for certiorari.

The same can be said to the approval of the development by the National Historical Commission of the Philippines, according to Justice Garcia.