By Manuel L. Morato
(First of 2 parts)
The Quezon City News Bulletin with a logo QC in red published “Breaking News: Documents prove that Manuel Morato waived his rights over Morato family’s disputed QC property.”
This publication was released on Facebook. Many friends called if the “documents sent to the media now show that former PCSO director Manuel “Manoling” Morato waived his rights to the said property and duly passed them on to his brother, Jose Morato.” Palabas lang ‘yan ng kapatid kong bunso na kasosyo ng mga Belmonte at ng mga Robles ng Sta. Lucia Land.
It’s not true, believe me. There is no reason for me to waive my rights to my mother’s inheritance.
Who does Jose Morato think he is? The prodigal son? Webster’s Dictionary defines a prodigal person as one who spends money or resources freely and recklessly in an extravagant way. If I may add, because of greed or at the expense of other people he takes advantage of; together with his partners in crime. It happens in many different ways.
May I add that Jose Morato and partners are doing it at our estates’ expense; at OUR expense. Because of his association with his partners who made things possible in robbing us of what is supposed to be our inheritance; he deceived my mother and made her sign blank bond papers and forced my mother to thumb mark documents. On the part of this Jose Morato who unfortunately is the youngest of six siblings had turned into manipulating my mother when she was in the hospital for five months. According to the nurses who were taking care of my mother, she would cry after what Jose Morato was doing to her.
I remember distinctly that Jose Morato was the author of putting up a closed family corporation to “lessen the inheritance taxes.” JLM kept scaring my mother to create a corporation between and among the six children and my mother to lessen our inheritance tax.
Briefly, JLM practically lassoed us into putting in the Javea Properties Corporation all the properties of my mother. And once all the properties were in one basket, it was easy for him to make transfers to his JLM Trading Corporation and ended up with all the estate properties under his sole control. An evil stroke to do against his own mother and brothers and sisters.
It is sad because even the only wish of my mother was tampered with by JLM. My mother’s only wish was never to remove from her name the ancestral home gifted to her by my father. She kept telling me: “Hijo, ibibigay ko na sa inyo lahat ng mamanahin ninyo sa akin, but never, never remove the house and the three lots in my name for it was a gift to me by your father. Huwag na huwag ninyo tatanggalin itong bahay at garden sa pangalan ko.” We respected it but this JLM did not; and to add insult to injury, it all ended up with him through falsification of documents.
My mother’s wish was not followed by JLM. He had a hidden agenda that not anyone of us even suspected he could do that to our own mother and to us five other siblings. We found out that it was a long-planned scheme to grab everything from my mother and from us, my three sisters and myself.
The 5th son was the mortal enemy of JLM, the 6th and the youngest. Francisco is his name who for years kept accusing JLM for stealing his lots in Quezon Province. It took me to have all the titles reconstituted just to end their feud. I spent so much just to help that other brother. But lo and behold, the two are together now because Francisco insisted that he be paid his share. So, JLM in his desire to have one on his side bought the other brother to be on his side.
We, myself and my three sisters really do not mind them anymore. Both are very difficult to get along with anyway. With the backing of the Belmontes and of the Robleses of Sta. Lucia, everything we thought could not happen, happened. But we, the four of us, have no choice but to defend the wishes of our parents. We are fighting for what is right and for the honor of our father and mother.
In the Quezon City News Bulletin, several documents were attached, one of which is entitled “Waiver of Rights.” When I was called to the witness stand, the lawyer of JLM presented a document entitled “Waiver of Rights.” I told the lawyer of JLM that this is the first time I see that document; that had it been presented to me in the hospital with that title, it could have called my attention and I definitely would have not signed it. This document was presented in Court and marked as exhibit 9 which I questioned since then. Now, they showed another like it in the Quezon City News Bulletin, in a different format without the acceptance of the Court as Annex or exhibit “9;” and without the title Waiver of Rights anymore. They tampered again with the document. Have these people no shame nor qualms of conscience?
I wish to call the attention of the Court and the public to take note of the second page under ACKNOWLEDGEMENT.
For the record, I was not present in the Notary Public to swear on it because the Notary Public stated “Before me, a Notary Public for and in the City of Quezon City, Metro Manila, personally appeared Manuel L. Morato with government-issued ID No.(blank). No ID number because I was in the hospital when Jose Morato brought me a document to sign which I did not read in my weakest moment for I just had my heart surgery. This alone invalidates the document. I did not swear before the Notary Public.
Two E. Titles were attached already in the name of his corporation, JLM Trading Corporation. He succeeded in robbing my mother of her two more lots adjacent to her house, lots 14 and 15 which were supposed to be for the 5 of us. The brothers of now Mayor Joy Belmonte, who bought and sold among themselves lots 13, 14, 15 of my mother, as a scheme to cover up their transaction. It passed through Benjamin Sim, a dummy, who acted as the authorized person to sell my mother’s properties – illegally; passing it on to the Belmontes and then back to JLM Trading Corporation. It was maneuvered to confuse the family and the Courts.
JLM presented a “Deed of Donation” on one lot where the ancestral home stood. Look how JLM forced my mother to put her thumb mark when she was already bedridden in her bedroom in our ancestral house. But there is a clear pattern that JLM antedates the documents. The one thumbed mark by my mother on her alleged “Deed of Donation is dated March 01, 2002. My mother passed on in May of the same year 2002. Always antedated the “notarization” for two months. But my bedridden mother was made to sign not in the presence of a Notary Public.
There is a clear pattern that he never dated the notarization on the same day but always about two months before. He had an arrangement with 2 or 3 Notary Public to always leave a space for him for his chosen dates. He did it to me as well.
Take a look at the alleged Deed of Donation of my mother’s house and lot, the document was NOT notarized by the Notary Public in front of my mother. The Notary Public must always be present; and when the Judge asked JLM if the Notary Public was present, he said “NO” in the witness stand. Nabigla siya. It’s in the stenographic notes. For the first time, he told the truth that screwed him that invalidated that document.
What JLM did to my mother in making her sign and thumb-marking, he saw to it that she was in her weakest moment. That was before my mother passed away in May 2002. I was operated on in October 2012, but “notarized” on August 15, 2002; again, a span of about two months on the alleged “Waiver of Rights.”
What JLM did to my mother he also did to me in the hospital. Maybe because I was the Executor of my mother’s Holographic Will. It gives me the feeling that JLM wanted my mother and I eliminated to make his takeover easier. But with the grace of God, I survived. Unfortunately, she did not. I was his next target for the 3 sisters behind me would be easier for him to handle and manipulate. That’s the ball game he was playing, intentional, well-planned that he can overpower the other remaining heirs of my mother.
By the way, that alleged “Waiver of Rights” I was made to sign was never submitted in the RTC Q.C. Office of the Clerk of Court by the Notary Public on the date it was supposed to have been entered in the record books.
The 3rd document I will include in this column marked received by the Court is a handwritten letter of JLM. Please take note it was me and my sister Elvira he was requesting for a portion of the Lot 14 which is supposed to be for the 5 of us since he claims my mother “donated” lot 13 where the house was built on. He came to me to tell my sister Elvira Morato Cuenca if we could cede a portion of what was ours to preserve the house of Mama. Elvira did not agree; and on my part, I said that I will think about it. Instead of waiting he made me sign in the hospital in my weakest moment after a heart surgery a document he now entitled “Waiver of Rights.” In other words, if anything happens to me, his plan of taking over the entire property of my mother will not go to naught. He took over lots 13, 14, 15. That’s when we discovered that JLM was apparently in cahoots with the Belmontes and Exy Robles of Sta. Lucia Land.
The take over was like a thief in the night. Our compound was barricaded overnight; my parents’ ancestral home’s demolition was also in the making without our consent for all the six heirs must give consent. JLM claims that my mother sold to him the house and lot. The Deed of Sale was falsified for JLM led my mother to defy the law for my mother cannot sell her house and lot to him for 49 percent of it belongs to her children. My mother can only sell 51 percent of the property. But JLM deceived my mother. The other 5 children are compulsory heirs of my mother. We cannot be shoved aside no matter how much JLM tries for that’s the law he will be up against.
Here’s my theory. When Jose Morato (70) saw that we are not giving in to his request, and he was being pressured by the Belmontes and Robles to start constructing the 21 storey condo/hotel in the residential area of my parents ancestral home, already given “Special Permit” by the Quezon City Council headed by the Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte Alimurung approved and signed by her. Looking back, she had to do it fast in 2017 for if she delays and she becomes the Mayor, she will have the power to Veto and will have no excuse once we attack her.
Now that Joy Belmonte Alimurung is the Mayor, veto what you have done when you were the Vice Mayor which is against the law for you as government official cannot favor your own relative up to the 4th degree of consanguinity. Joy Belmonte Alimurung had the nerve to say that they have nothing to do in the destruction of our ancestral home. We even saw her inspecting and surveying the house and garden of my mother shortly before it was demolished. Nasa CCTV yang “Royal visit” mo Joy. Pero nong nagsumbong ako sa ama mo, kay Sonny Belmonte, whom I’ve known for 40 years together with your mother Betty, he denied your presence in my mother’s house and garden. But you were indeed there, Joy. Remember it took place in our compound and compound which was connected to several CCTV cameras.
Please stop saying that you have nothing to do, as well as your family in the land-grabbing of my mother’s property. You even dared us to look at the minutes of the Quezon City Council meeting if your name appears as the petitioner. Yes, your signature was there approving the “Special Permit” to go to 21 storey condotel in a residential area. But the petitioner was Sta. Lucia Land of Exy Robles. Smart but very deceitful move. Only expert liars do those things.
Let me tell you Joy, ang decoy mo at ang pina-apply mo ng “sagrada pamilya mo” ng permit ay si Exy Robles ng Sta. Lucia Land. Hindi nga naman lalabas ang pangalang Belmonte. Please do not deny anymore because Exy Robles told me that he applied for all the permits para hindi kayo ma-trace. Sinabi ko kay Exy, bakit nagpagamit ka? Sabi niya sa akin when he came to visit my office: “Kasi Manoling, malaki ang utang na loob ko kay Speaker Sonny kasi he removed and threw the squatters sa aking malaking lote sa Quezon City na tatayuan ko ng building.”
Ang sagot ko sa kanya: “Tinatapon na lang ba ninyo ang mga squatters kung saan-saan kabundukan?” Maawa naman kayo sa ating kapus-palad na kababayan.
(To be continued in Part 2 I will discuss the documents I mentioned here)
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com