Title
Steel Corp. of the Philippines vs. Mapfre Insular Insurance Corp.
Case
G.R. No. 201199
Decision Date
Oct 16, 2013
A domestic corporation in corporate rehabilitation must initiate a separate action against insurers to claim fire damage insurance proceeds due to the court's lack of jurisdiction over the matter.
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Case Digest (G.R. No. 201199)

Facts:

  • The case involves Steel Corporation of the Philippines (SCP) as the petitioner and several insurance companies as respondents: Mapfre Insular Insurance Corporation, New India Assurance Company Limited, Philippine Charter Insurance Corporation, Malayan Insurance Co., Inc., and Asia Insurance Phil. Corp.
  • SCP, a domestic corporation manufacturing cold-rolled and galvanized steel, faced financial difficulties and was placed under corporate rehabilitation by the Regional Trial Court (RTC) on September 12, 2006.
  • Atty. Santiago T. Gabionza, Jr. was appointed as the rehabilitation receiver.
  • SCP had a Mortgage Trust Indenture (MTI) with the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI), requiring asset insurance until loans were fully paid.
  • Following a fire on June 8, 2008, SCP received $450,000 in insurance proceeds, which BPI withheld.
  • SCP sought the release of these funds for machinery repairs, but the RTC's order was contested by BPI and reversed by the Court of Appeals.
  • Another fire on December 7, 2009, led SCP to file a motion on December 17, 2010, requesting $28,000,000 for property damage and $8,000,000 for business interruption from the insurers.
  • The insurers contested the RTC's jurisdiction, claiming SCP did not comply with policy terms and that the claims were outside the rehabilitation court's jurisdiction.
  • On June 1, 2011, the RTC ruled in favor of SCP, ordering the insurers to pay the claimed amounts.
  • The insurers filed a petition for certiorari with the Court of Appeals, which ruled on February 8, 2012, that the RTC's order was void due to lack of jurisdiction.
  • SCP's motion for reconsideration was denied on March 27, 2012, leading to the current petition for review on certiorari.

Issue:

  • (Unlock)

Ruling:

  • The Supreme Court denied SCP's petition and affirmed the Court of Appeals' February 8, 2012 Decision and March 27, 2012 Resolution, holding that the RTC lacked jurisdic...(Unlock)

Ratio:

  • The Supreme Court reasoned that the Court of Appeals correctly determined that the RTC, acting as a rehabilitation court, did not have jurisdiction over SCP's claims against the insurers.
  • Rehabilitation proceedings are summary ...continue reading

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