G.R. NO. 160677 - UNIVERSAL BROADCASTING CORPORATION, VS. THE HON. SANDIGANBAYAN (5TH DIVISION); REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES, REPRESENTED BY THE PRESIDENTIAL COMMISSION ON GOOD GOVERNMENT; TACLOBAN CITY ICE PLANT, INC.; AND ALLIED BANKING CORPORATION, AS TRUSTEE OF COLLEGE ASSURANCE PLAN PHILIPPINES

Ruling

WHEREFORE, petitioner's alternative prayer is GRANTED and the Sandiganbayan is ORDERED to conduct a hearing and determine the claim of ownership of the Universal Broadcasting Corporation and the right of the Republic of the Philippines, through the PCGG, to retain possession of the property in question. In the meantime, the resolutions dated October 1, 1991 and July 23, 1992 of the Sandiganbayan are SUSPENDED, subject to the decision of the Sandiganbayan on the aforesaid claim of UBC. Private respondents TCIP, et al . filed a motion for reconsideration of this Court decision in G.R. No. 106413 , but the motion was denied by the Court in its resolution of August 14, 1996. In denying the motion, the Court ruled that the proceedings in the Sandiganbayan may proceed independently of Civil Case No. 94-01-18 then pending at the RTC of Tacloban City, Branch 6. Pursuant to the aforementioned resolution of the Court, respondent Sandiganbayan issued a Resolution dated October 8, 2001 directing TCIP and UBC to appear before it and present evidence in order to determine the legal ownership of the Price Mansion property. TCIP and Allied Banking Corporation filed a motion for clarification requesting for guidelines for the implementation of the aforesaid October 8, 2001 resolution. UBC filed its comment to the said motion praying that the proceedings before the Sandiganbayan in Civil Case No. 0035 be suspended pending final determination of the ownership of subject property by the RTC in Civil Case No. 94-01-18. In the herein assailed Resolution dated May 7, 2003, the Sandiganbayan ordered petitioner UBC to file anew its motion for intervention, attaching thereto its complaint-in-intervention, and setting the motion for hearing. Its motion for reconsideration having been denied by the Sandiganbayan in its equally assailed Resolution of October 16, 2003, petitioner UBC is now before us via the present recourse raising the sole issue of whether the Sandiganbayan acted with grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack or excess of jurisdiction in ordering petitioner UBC to submit a motion for intervention attaching thereto its complaint-in-intervention and in requiring it to present its evidence ahead of the other parties. We DISMISS . Petitioner submits that the Sandiganbayan never acquired jurisdiction over it as it was not impleaded as a party-defendant in Civil Case No. 0035. The submission has no merit. The Price Mansion property is an asset alleged to be ill-gotten. Like UBC, it is listed as among the properties of Benjamin Romualdez. For sure, UBC is among the corporations listed as alleged repositories of shares of stock controlled by Romualdez. In Republic v. Sandiganbayan , [3] the Court held that there is no need to implead firms which are merely the res of the actions in ill-gotten wealth cases and that judgment may simply be directed against the assets, thus: C. Impleading Unnecessary Re Firms which are the Res of the Actions And as to corporations or