The Justice Hall of Bacolod City opened at an unusual hour to accommodate the request of a retired general to put a company driver under inquest proceedings on April 4, 2025.
According to the reports, Retired General Lope Ma Lim, a resident of Sorsogon, was in Bacolod City to attend an event when the company driver, Romer Estrada, hit the box of Lim’s motorcycle around 12:14 noon.
Lim insisted on holding Estrada accountable for reckless imprudence resulting in physical injuries and property damage, and brought the latter to the hall of justice around 11:30 P.M. for inquest proceedings.
The proceedings ended around 1:30 A.M, April 5.
The retired general said that the damage to his motorcycle was estimated to be P387,000.
Meanwhile, Estrada, who was brought to the hospital but still considered detained, said that the blotter report contradicted what happened.
According to him, the retired general approached at high speed, prompting him to immediately step on the brakes, which prevented a more serious outcome.
Estrada’s attorney also accused the retired general of receiving preferential treatment due to his past position.
“Clearly, the police favored the ex-general without giving the accused a chance to be heard,” Atty. Ariel Caldit, Estrada’s lawyer, told a local news outlet.
Meanwhile, a prosecutor from Bacolod City explained that suspects were required to be brought in for inquest within the reglementary period, which explains why the hall of justice opened even at midnight.
“It is NOT UNUSUAL for Prosecutors to conduct their duty in the evening, at midnight or early in the morning when everybody is all sound asleep BECAUSE they are concerned that the person is temporarily deprived of his liberty and have to determine whether there is a ground for his continued detention,” the prosecutor said.