Bus Terminal Issue: Tato Mendoza wins case vs. City Hall

NAGA CITY (Bicol Standard) - FPM Corporation, represented by its president Fortunato “Tato” P. Mendoza, the former operator of Central Bus Terminal, was awarded by the Regional Trial Court Branch 19 the amount of P1,000,000.00 as moral damages, P500,000.00 as temperate damages, P500,000.00 as exemplary damages, and P1,000,000.00 Attorney’s fees for the unlawful takeover of the CBT by the City Government of Naga in 2013.

In the same Decision given on May 6, 2019, RTC Judge Erwin Virgilio P. Ferrer, also denied the issuance of injunction for FPM Corporation’s failure to prove that it has material and substantial right to be protected by the Court.

It will be recalled that in December 2013, Mendoza filed city hall officials due to an alleged violation of his rights under an existing contract which allowed him to operate the Central Bus Terminal.

Impleaded in the case as defendant was the city government of Naga represented by Mayor John Bongat.

Mayor John Bongat, along with Vice Mayor Nelson Legacion and other city officials, took over the operation of the facility in January 2014.