By Manuel L. Morato
Now that your family owns the property of my parents in our compound, in connivance with our youngest brother, Jose L. Morato, a partner of your father and Sta. Lucia Land, one of my three sisters, Teresita Morato Lazatin is in urgent need of help from the Quezon City Hall for her house in our family compound where your family’s highrise 21 storey condo hotel is rising, demolishing our parents’ ancestral home. We not only lost the 6-bedroom ancestral home in the name of our late mother, but the estate properties inside the house were all taken away as well. Sobra po ang ginawa ng grupo ninyo sa amin kaya po dinemanda namin ang grupo ninyo at wala po kaming kalam-alam na kayo na pala ang may-ari ng estate property ng aming pamilya. Actually, landgrabbing ang ginawa ninyo sa amin. Winasak ninyo ang bahay ng aming ina at hinukay ninyo kaagad ang kanyang tatlong lote.
It’s in the Holographic Will of my mother that the ancestral home where we grew up in (demolished without our knowledge in April 1st 2018); said property belongs to the six of us. Ako po ang panganay at Executor of our mother’s Holographic Will. The operation was done secretly.
The ancestral home of my parents was constructed in the 1950s by my father, Tomas B. Morato, First Appointive Mayor of Quezon City by President Manuel L. Quezon in 1939.
Republic Act 10066 signed by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo was meant to preserve old historical structures 50 years old and above from being demolished without going to Court.
Our ancestral home here in 99 Scout Gandia Street, near Tomas B. Morato Avenue was over 70 years old. Republic Act 10066 prohibit its destruction without going to Court with all the heirs present. But that was not done to us. It was kept a secret from my three sisters and myself because those who did it to us are in power! Abuso talaga ang ginawa sa amin. Kasabwat ang dating Barangay Captain na si Alberto Flores who also kept the secret from my family.
We, later on, learned that your three brothers entered into deeds of sale with my youngest brother, Jose L. Morato who maneuvered the sale with your three brothers – Isaac, Miguel & Kevin. Exy Robles of Sta. Lucia Land was made to appear as if the project was Sta. Lucia Land’s project and was made to apply for all the permits, not in the name of the Belmontes, but all in the name of Exy Robles’ Sta. Lucia Land, Inc., an accommodation to the Belmontes who did him a big favor. All permits were approved including by the Quezon City Council headed by then-Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte Alimurung.
Exy Robles being a friend of my family confessed to me that it was former Speaker Sonny Belmonte who paid my brother in cash for my parents’ ancestral home and the three lots wherein it once stood. He told me that he was present in the house of Sonny Belmonte nong magbayaran in cold cash si Jose L. Morato at si Sonny Belmonte.
Mayor Joy Belmonte Alimurung, I want you to answer my questions. I’ve known your parents and your family, including you as a young child as well as your three brothers during the lifetime of your mother, Betty Go Belmonte. I never thought what was left of your family after your mother, Betty, passed away would do what you, your three brothers, and your father, Sonny, would do to us; including you. We have been in several Courts in Quezon City and nothing happens. As I was told by my friends in the Quezon City Hall, we have to get out of Quezon City as nothing will come out of our case; that we don’t stand a chance of getting justice.
My reason in writing you, Mayor Joy, is to seek for your office’s help in explaining to my family why all the violations in the construction inside our compound continues. We are totally ignored by all the Quezon City departments.
Number 1: Why did you give a “special permit” to construct a 21 storey building in a residential area? My mother’s property wherein our ancestral home once stood was in a residential area. Just because it is identified as a project of Sta. Lucia Land, Inc. of Exy Robles, your family’s ownership was camouflaged. But Exy confessed to me that he did the favor for he owed your father a favor removing all the squatters in his land in Quezon City wherein Sta. Lucia Land, Inc. intends to put up a building. Kaya kapalit sa favor, siya ang pina-apply ng lahat ng licenses tungkol sa building ng 21 storeys property ng aming magulang. And the Quezon City Council approved it. Do they have any choice?
Number 2: I want to know what other builders tell me.
Is it true that a 21 storey building can only be constructed on a lot area of at least 1,200 sq. meters? I ask this question because the three lots of my mother totaled 1,103 sq. mts. only, short of 97 sq. mts. for your 21 storey building to be constructed on. Again, did you exempt it again?
What your developer did is to scrape every square meter of my mother’s properties that they could get, leaving no easement with the adjacent properties. Sinagad ninyo at idinikit ninyo ang firewall ng inyong building at idinikit sa pader ko, sa pader ng bahay ng sister ko, at sa pader ng bahay ni Doctor Cantos who was ill and I believe natuluyang namatay. Before he died, pati tiles ng kanilang banyo at kusina ay nabaklas at inireklamo ng mga anak. Nangyari din sa bahay ng kapatid ko, si Teresita Morato Lazatin.
The construction of your 21 storey condo hotel also scraped the wall of my nephew, Tomas Morato who passed away. The wife and children are of course bothered by a solid wall that will prevent air to circulate in their house, as is happening to us. Sinakal kaming lahat ng construction na ito. Tatlong taon na namin tinitiis itong ingay at kalungkutan namin araw-araw.
Number 3: In the titles of my mother’s property, it is said that there should be a four-meter easement between the adjacent properties; more so if it is a residential home beside the highrise building of 21 storeys as it is in this case; and prohibited high structure to rise.
I’ve been told na pag residential ang makakatabi ng isang building, dapat may easement to protect the residential structure, so fragile to a solid cement and steel structure right beside. Ginawa din ninyo sa isang building na 22 storeys sa harap ng dating bahay ng ina ko. Idinikit din ninyo sa residential house ni Mrs. Alegada. Sinakal din ang circulation ng hangin. Kakayanin ba ng drainage designed for residential homes ang inyong dalawang 21 and 22 storey buildings, the first of its kind since 1939 when we moved in here when my father was appointed First Mayor?
In this property of our parents which my youngest brother sold to the Belmontes, even the 70 year old trees planted by my father in the garden were all cut. Another violation. The DENR said na kakasuhan daw, pero hindi na rin itinuloy.
Ano ba ang batas sa Quezon City? Adjustable ba basta malakas ang may-ari? Ngayon na kami ang tinamaan, totoo pala ang palakasan dito sa Quezon City. Abuso left and right parang sa kanila na ang buong siyudad.
I am getting right down to why I decided to write you directly, Madame Mayor Joy Belmonte Alimurung: The house of my sister, Teresita Morato Lazatin is suffering from enormous problems kasi idinikit ninyo sa pader niya ang firewall ng inyong 21 storey building na ninakaw ng bunsong kapatid namin na si Jose L. Morato at ibinenta sa inyo, pamilya Belmonte. Sinarili niya yong mana namin sa aming ina.
The wall of your 21 storey building ay idinikit sa kusina ng kapatid ko at apektado ang mga sockets na nilalabasan ng tubig; nagfa-flooding sa kanyang kitchen. Nag-report kami sa inyong tauhan sa construction. Sinilip lang at hindi na binalikan at pinabayaan na lang.
Grabe na po ang nararanasan namin sa aming dating compound kasabwat ang kapatid naming bunso na ama ni Pia na nasa inyong office ngayon upang mag-influence peddling sa mga Judges/Fiscals/Prosecutors ang inyong mga mensahe kaya pala pirmi kaming pinagpapasahan from one Court to another. Maliwanag na magka-kuntsaba kayo at pareho ninyong pinagsamantalahan ang aming pamilya. Pia Morato Barretto is in your office for a purpose. Expert influencer yan. Sugod ng sugod yan to defend her father who did us wrong; and she also did us wrong. She even attends our hearing for her father and for you, Mayor Joy.
Ipaayos ninyo ang flooding na nangyayari sa bahay ng aking kapatid, pati ang mga plugs na nilalabasan ng tubig pag umuulan kasi idinikit ninyo ang firewall ng itinatayo ninyong building. Firewall? Subalit 2-storey residential house lang yong bahay ng sister ko. Pati tubig ng ulan cascades on her roof. Hanggang kailan kakayanin yang pressure on her roof?
It’s a historical house, the first house built in Quezon City. Ang laking perwisyo ang ginawa ninyo sa amin. Alam na ng lahat kung ano ang pinaktatakpan niyo sa proyektong ito na sa inyong grupo din nanggaling.
My niece, Pia Morato na hiwalay sa asawang Barretto, is in your office now – Office of the Mayor for she is now your influence peddler to all the Judges, Fiscals at Prosecutors. May ibig sabihin na nandiyan si Pia Morato Barretto sa office ninyo sa Q.C. Hall para mapagtulungan at apihin kami. Kilala ko ang mga masamang ugali ninyo.
Pia is involved in the case we filed because she illegally acted as Corporate Secretary of our closed corporation at siya ang nag-approve ng paglipat ng aming properties sa kanyang ama. She acted illegally.
It pains me that after she successfully separated from her husband with the help of the Belmontes sa Quezon City, of course, I was the one helping her out. I gave her a car and monthly allowances for years; pocket money on her alleged trips to Spain for “conferences.” Pero trinaydor din ako at she is mana sa kanyang ama at sa kanyang ina. Hindi ko nakita ang tunay niyang ugali.
Pati yong pagnakaw ng mga estate properties ng aming magulang bago wasakin ang bahay ng aming magulang na doon din sila lumipat at binenta ng ama niya kay Joy Belmonte yong house and lot na bigay ng aming magulang sa ama niya. Yon pala para pumayag kami na lilipat sila sa bahay ng aming Ina at aalagaan nila – daw! Yon pala iba ang balak sa aming Ina. The documents they presented in Court will speak for itself. Sa kanila na rin nanggaling ang mga falsified documents.
God reveals those with bad intentions. They presented the falsified documents without us lifting a finger.
That’s Divine Justice!
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com