Madrigal laughs off ploy of inheritance ‘enemy’
By DJ Yap
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 22:03:00 07/25/2008
Filed Under: Family, Conflicts (general)
MANILA, Philippines—Senator Jamby Madrigal has branded as worthless a motion by lawyers of her late aunt, Chito Madrigal-Collantes, questioning the P26-million cap set by a Makati judge on the value of the latter’s estate to be distributed to her listed heirs.
“The enemy has filed a useless piece of paper that seems to have no basis in law,” Madrigal told reporters Friday outside the sala of Makati Judge Oscar Pimentel.
The executors of Collantes’ will, Perry Pe and Aurelio Montinola III, has asked the court to amend its July 2 order limiting to only P26,134,137.23 the value of Collantes’ estate that can be distributed to the heirs listed in her will.
Madrigal said the move was made by “desperate lawyers of desperate clients in a desperate situation.”
In his order, Pimentel authorized the executors to distribute to the listed beneficiaries only the P26 million worth of properties itemized in the will.
The rest, Pimentel ruled, would go to Collantes’ legal successors: half to her widower, Manuel, and half to be distributed to her brothers and sisters, and by representation, her nephews and nieces, including Madrigal.
But lawyer Aileen Lerma, who spoke for Pe and Montinola, said the will covered not just the P26 million worth of properties listed but the entire estate, whose value could run up to billions of pesos.
“There is a portion in the will referring to the residuary estate, or the rest of her properties beyond the P26 million. It’s clearly stated that the residuary estate would go to three: [her nieces] Ma. Susana Madrigal and Gizela Gonzalez-Montinola, and [grandnephew] Vicente Gustav Warns,” Lerma said.
“The will disposed off the entire estate, not just the P26 million worth of properties,” said Lerma.
She said the portion of Pimentel’s order that applied the rules of mixed succession on Collantes’ estate was “irrelevant” because his September 20, 2006, ruling affirming the validity of the will still stood.
For this reason, Lerma said her clients did not file a motion for reconsideration but simply asked Pimentel to “clarify” what he meant in his order.
“[Collantes] knew what she was doing. She was a lawyer herself, which is why she included her residuary estate. She knew that the will would cover everything,” Lerma said.
But Madrigal’s lawyer, Ernesto Francisco, said Pe and Montinola just could not accept that they had been beaten.
“It’s just pride. It’s hard for them to lose,” Francisco said.
Collantes is believed to have left a multi-billion-peso fortune in real estate, construction, banking, transportation and other industries.
Childless, she died in her North Forbes Park, Makati residence on March 24.
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