By Manuel L. Morato
My late father celebrated his birthday on July 4, yesterday. Being a Sunday, I had no office, nor anyone to help me with the computer. I did my best to catch up. However, I never forget my parents on their birthdays, death anniversary and other special occasions. I see to it that candles are lighted and flowers are in their graves; always together.
When my mother celebrates her birthday in heaven, I see to it that candles are lighted and flowers are in her grave. I see to it that when there is an occasion with one of them, I make sure that what offering I have for one, I also do for the other. My parents are buried beside each other in the Manila Cementerio del Norte (North Cemetery). We are six children. I am the eldest followed by my three sisters: Elvira M. Cuenca, Teresita M. Lazatin and Lolita M. Quiros; followed by the 5th and 6th sons.
In every death anniversary of our father and mother, I see to it that I release the obituary of our father and that of my mother. It is to show our constant respect for them; and an act of respect for them forever. That will never change. More importantly, I pray in my private chapel in honor of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary of Manaoag every morning and evening; mornings before I enter my office, and evenings before I go up to my penthouse.
In the obituary I release on the death anniversaries and birthdays of my parents, it says “We, Manoling, Elvira, Teresita and Lolita request prayers from the pious readers,”
I was told that the two brothers, Jose (Pepito), the youngest; and Francisco, the 5th child resent my not putting their names. But that will be hypocritical for they have committed something dishonoring our father and mother. Both showed that they do not honor the Holographic Will of our father and mother wherein both our parents have expressed their Wills in the fairest possible way ang huling bilin nila which both (more so on the part of Jose L. Morato and his family) did not follow nor respected.
I’d be a hypocrite if I included their names in the obituaries of our father and mother for they both did not respect the Holographic Wills of our father and mother. Besides since they “inherited” from our parents, why don’t they put a one page obituary putting only their names. We don’t mind if you two do not include the four of us. Hawak naman ni JLM ang dapat minana namin. Wala kaming apat tinanggap at kami ang ninakawan ng mga magnanakaw.
Not for anything, it’s not to shame them; not at all. But we have an estate case in Court on the estate of our mother and both brothers have joined forces against the law by leaving us, four compulsory heirs of our mother, as if the four of us never existed. It’s all greed on their part to deprive the four of us (my 3 sisters and myself) as if we were never born at all. JLM intentionally waited for the four of us to turn in our 80s. Why? We leave it in your individual interpretation.
And to top it all, JLM manipulated in such a way to divide us and rule for his sole interest; together with his family alone, exploiting the innocence of our mother in making her sign documents against her will, as well as thumb marks before her death. It’s shown in all the JLM documents and his partners in crime (not related to us in blood) who presented falsified documents in Court, something we, the four children never even imagined existed. That led the 5 of us to file charges in Court against JLM and his cohorts. Francisco filed with us but now for whatever consideration given him, we really do not know where he stands.
Malakas daw sila saCourts in Quezon City. Hindi mo na dapat banggitin sa amin for we knew all along that we are under the mercy of your partners, the Belmontes and Sta. Lucia Builders.
Please let me remind you that the 5th son, Francisco, filed the case in Court in April of 2018 with the four of us when the aforementioned “owners” demolished the house of our late parents and destroyed all the old trees and flowers in the garden to dig a hole for a 21 storey condo hotel granted and approved by the Quezon City Council headed by then Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte Alimurung. She granted her own family who took over the properties of my mother a so-called “Special Permit” to construct a highrise building in a residential area inside our family compound which is against the law for a public official to favor her/his own family up to the 4th degree of consanguinity. But they maneuvered it by putting all the permits needed in the name of the contractor, Exy Robles of Sta. Lucia Builder. Exy himself visited me and told me at the beginning of our differences that he was present when my brother was paid by the head of the “royal family of Quezon City.” Kasi friend ko sila for 40 years or more, I never imagined in my wildest dream that they could do us anything wrong; neither could this happen to us in this administration. We are a quiet family and in all the times of our past presidents, nothing of this sort we suffered from. Kung kailan pang may President Duterte who is against abuses in any form could this ever happen. We really never thought. Pero may connection na daw sila. President Duterte should deny them for it stains his administration. The President should never associate with people who are actually personae non grata.
My purpose in informing the public is to keep families who might suffer what we are going through, God willing not. Be careful. There seems to be one or two “black sheeps” in every family with no heart who could go as far as destroying a father’s Will and a mother’s Will as well in the name of Greed and Envy; or for associating with groups with no conscience.
Let what happened to us which we never expected in our wildest dream that this could ever happen to us. Let it not happen to any of my readers worldwide. It’s too painful to have to go through it.
To end this, let me reiterate that aside from what we suffered from, JLM had the gall to accuse us that “we stole from him properties we inherited in Spain.” That’s nauseating for we did not do that at all. Is it a big lie to justify the stealing of properties that we have inherited in the Philippines. What kind of “justification” is that?
Ibig niya ba sabihin na pag ninakawan ka, nakawan mo rin? Maski wala na kami matanggap sa aming mana sa aming Ina “one wrong is never justified by another wrong.”
Kayo na lang ang gumawa niyan. Kaming apat, my 3 sisters and myself will never do that to you nor your cohorts. Why? We are not fighting for any material gain. We, myself and my three sisters, are only fighting for what is due us. We pray for Divine Justice to grant that to us, not your group with no good reputation to uphold.
I will repeat, we invoke Divine Justice to decide, not who did us wrong who have no fear of God.
Remember, we live in dangerous times because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Let’s put our Divine Mercy in focus of it all.
We have no choice but to defend the honor of our father and mother for they will not rest in peace for as long as their wishes and honor are not defended and granted. As things are, it appears that they were the ones at fault for not giving all their children equal rights and protection. That’s not the case.
Rest in peace Papa and Mama. We promise to rectify the wrong done to you. The honor you possessed in life and in death must be defended at all cost. We can do no less. It is our duty to stand by both of you. We promise to defend your honor, your kindness and all the many kindnesses you’ve bestowed on us.
Please let us all invoke Divine Justice from God Himself and the Blessed Mother.
Thy Will be done!
Before I end, let it be said that whoever fails to honor our respective parents shall suffer the same fate from their children and their children’s children. Karma will not rest upon them but will continue from generation to generation; and at the end of the day, you will be asking one big question: Was it all worth it?
For comments and suggestions email at mlmorato@yahoo.com