By Manuel L. Morato
Jose L. Morato wrote letters addressed to my sisters: Elvira Morato Cuenca, Teresita Lazatin and Lolita Quiros through Teresita, that the case of Syndicated Estafa and docketed as NPS Docket No. XV-03-INV-18F-05949 in the Office of the City Prosecutor of Quezon City against him, wife and all my children (your sister-in-law, nephew and nieces). So? What are you griping about? You “won” the case without that City Prosecutor Robledo giving us a single hearing. Is that fair?
I am answering for and on behalf of my three sisters for I did not receive a letter addressed to me. I was told that Pepito and Francisco are on a mission to “win” one of our three sisters as you already got Francisco, who also was your mortal enemy before that I had to patch-up your differences. He started with us but decided to stay in the neutral daw for practical purposes he said, for he does not want to spend; and he wants his share to be paid by Pepito. He got it for Pepito (JLM) needed an ally. Fine and well, as far as my three sisters are concerned, not one of them will ever do what Francisco did because the four of us deeply and truly love our mother. Try and see, if you want. But after what was done to us by Pepito (JLM) and his “gang of four,” puputi na lang ang uwak (black crow) you, Pepito and Francisco, will never succeed. Actually, my three sisters dislike both of you more than I do.
The subject matter was the three lots of our mother in Gandia (Scout Gandia not Gandia alone) in Quezon City which he claims “our mother had sold to me as early as December 1989 through a Deed of Absolute Sale.” Oh really? Mama, never told us. I want to tell you that what you said is not true for: No. 1, selling her property is against the law for she could only sell 51% of it for the 49% belongs to us, her six children. Hindi lang naman ikaw ang anak ng ating magulang. Besides the alleged “Deed of Absolute Sale” was never notarized. You, Pepito, was trying to cheat on our mother as early as 1989?
Now we see why you are trying to destroy the 10-page Holographic Will of our mother in Court, but your claims have no leg to stand on. You are not telling the truth. You were surreptitiously making palusot to Mama, the poor, humble, unassuming lady who was Miss Quezon Province and who won the Carnival Queen in 1929 as a 19 year old student of Centro Escolar de Mujeres. She never bragged to us in her lifetime. I only learned about it eight months ago which our niece Coni Morato Cuenca, a researcher, found in the Archives in Spain and sent it to me.
Now that we see what you did to our mother; how you tricked her that she cried in silence according to her attendants. Mama clearly stated in her Holographic Will that the ancestral home must be preserved for all her six children to enjoy.
Always remember, the truth ALWAYS will out sooner or later.
Question: Mama sold it to you in 1989? And you transferred it to your name in 2014? Twelve years after her death?
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Regarding “our including the children of a former three-time Speaker of the House of Representatives of the Philippines, namely Isaac Belmonte, Juan Miguel Belmonte and Juan Kevin Belmonte…” don’t tell me about the family of Sonny and Betty Belmonte for we were close for over forty years already. Betty was a Bible reader, and would read to me; a dear friend who would call me past midnight for me to wake up Cardinal Sin; and I would follow Betty’s request. Sabi ko pa kay Betty: “Why don’t you call the Archbishop Palace and someone will answer who can connect you to the Cardinal. Pero sabi ni Betty: “Please do it for me Manoling as you are close to him. Just tell him to speak on Radio Veritas and say…etc…
I did anything Betty requested. So, you Pepito, don’t blame us for “besmirching” the “polished and shiny reputation of the Belmontes.” I knew them when you were not in the scene at all. The Belmontes, Sonny and Betty were more bunking on me at the time.
Sonny could never make me do anything wrong. That much he knew. I was a friend, but never an ally for any wrongdoing. That’s probably your role now.
You much later became close while I distanced away because of my Chairmanship of the MTRCB and the PCSO. But I asked you what are you doing in life? You told me: “I am the dummy of Sonny in buying buildings and big land properties. He told me of their modus operandi and I directly told Pepito: Why do you get involved in such activities?
Sure enough JLM ruined the Honor of our parents. He is only one/sixth of our parents’ assets and ended up with all. That’s what was stated in the decision of DOJ. So there are false accusations against my sisters and me. I’ll get to that.
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Regarding the “three real estate developers namely, Exequiel Robles, Liberato Robles and Vicente Santos” who we included in our Syndicated Estafa…”
Your lawyer who wrote this letter is one of the “de calibre” in town; one of the six who is now handling your case. I believe I know one or two of the six. And indeed, they ride on very expensive cars. No wonder you won the case in the DOJ Padre Faura so quickly. You had a meeting in a place not far from Morato Avenue and only weeks later, the case we filed against the three groups was dropped by the DOJ Padre Faura before Christmas.
Let me mention that Exy Robles is not only your friend. I know Exy as my sisters know him too including Elvira’s daughters, Alicia and Coni in Spain.
Friendship is not based on the length of time you know a person. It’s the sincerity and trust that matters.
I told Sonny what Exy told me when he came to talk to me about Mama’s properties when he came to me to answer why his company, Sta Lucia Realty is destroying the ancestral home of my parents; and excavating the three lots? Exy told me, point blank, “Sonny Belmonte paid Pepito for your Mama’s properties to put up a 21 storey building in your mother’s property. He told me that only the three of you were present: Sonny, Exy and Pepito. Besides, Exy continued, he is indebted to Sonny Belmonte because he has a big property here in Quezon City wherein Sta. Lucia would like to put up a highrise building but the land was full of squatters. Sonny was the one who helped him removed all the squatters. I even made a remark: “Saan naman ninyo itinapon yong mga mahihirap? Ganoon na lang ba? They are ejected and sent to God-forsaken hole on the ground way out in the boondocks. Kawawa naman.
Exy even told me that it was in good faith that he joined the project. I answered him: No, Exy. All of you did it in bad faith. You know why? Tinawagan mo na lang sana ako and asked me: Does Pepito own your mother’s properties? Just one call and I would have told you not true. Please consider, I am the Executor of my mother’s Will. And in her line of successors, Pepito (JLM) is the last successor in the line of successions. Instead, he pushed us all out and came out the sole heir of my mother. Can you believe that? But that’s what he did to us. Pepito got almost everything of our huge properties in Quezon Province, our home province. That’s how massive Jose L. Morato (Pepito) stole from us. We are left with nothing to inherit from our parents.
The three groups should have done due diligence on my mother’s property for my late father put those lots and the ancestral home in the name of my mother as his gift to her.
Then I showed him the falsified documents Pepito presented in Court. Exy reacted: “Had I seen these documents, Manoling, I would have not accepted the project.”
We are bothered by the DOJ decision for they were vindicated of “Syndicated Estafa.” But we filed two cases for review: Syndicated Estafa and Falsification of Documents. What happened to the falsification of documents? Did the DOJ find them “authentic”? Please tell us how those falsified documents became authentic?
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On the decision of DOJ Undersecretary Emmeline Aglipay Villar, Your Honor, kindly allow me to tell you that it was submitted on December 27, 2019 before 5 P.M. Atty. Diosdado Macapagal, our lawyer, submitted to the OCP-Quezon City Robledo on or about December 19, 2019 when all the offices in DOJ-QC were partying.
Your Honor, kindly consider that the deadline given us by OCP-Quezon City Robledo of December 25, Christmas Day. Naihabol lang po namin on the first working day, December 27. Of all deadlines to give – Christmas Day. It spoilt our Christmas. It was intentional.
Your Honor, your co-undersecretary, Neil Bainto, was the first to dismiss the issue of none submittance” based on technicality. Atty. Diosdado Macapagal was the one who submitted it to OCP-Quezon City on or about December 19, 2019.
I am not a lawyer, Your Honor. But please allow me to ask why there is no decision on the Falsification of Documents, the other part submitted in the lower Courts in Quezon City. They (the group of Jose L. Morato) was the one who submitted the illegal Deed of Sale between JLM and the three sons of former Speaker Sonny Belmonte. That was the first time we learned that my parents’ ancestral home was no longer ours. That was in April 2018; and that was the time our lawyer, Atty. Diosdado Macapagal recommended to us to file charges in Court, together with our other lawyer, Atty. Dennis Manicad.
As I was writing this letter, I received a call that our beloved lead lawyer, Atty. Diosdado Macapagal, just passed away this morning. I will cut short my column and give due respect to Atty. Diosdado Macapagal.
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IN MEMORIAM
My sisters, Elvira Morato Cuenca; Teresita Morato Lazatin; Lolita Morato Quiros and myself, Manoling Morato wish to extend our deepest condolences to the family of our beloved lawyer, Atty. Diosdado Macapagal, most especially to his wife, Doctora Sally; daughter and son; and to the entire Macapagal family.
Ka Dado, thank you for helping us in my late mother’s estate case now in Court. We will continue to be guided by all the motions you prepared for us up to the end for you are right in all what you said based on the truth.
Though you will no longer be with us, physically, your advice and written words we will stand by them for you always fought in Court based on the truth, and only the truth.
We will see to it that you did not die in vain.
Rest in peace, Ka Dading. We will do our best in your absence.
Now that you are with God in heaven for all eternity, continue to help us here on earth. You can help us even more.
The remains of Atty. Diosdado Macapagal is now in Krus sa Wawa Church in Wawa, Bocaue, Bulacan sa Chapel yung wake. Burial on Sunday, January 17, 2021.
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com