2 weeks Ago By Rappler.com
MANILA, Philippines – The Seventh Division of the Sandiganbayan has junked a third-party claim on a property in Iligan City which was part of the assets late businessman Roberto Benedicto surrendered to the Philippine government in November 1990. In a resolution dated October 15, the Sandiganbayan held that it could not take cognizance of the petition of cancellation of land title that was filed by Vicente F. Belmonte Jr.
as it was outside its jurisdiction. After submitting a bid for the lot registered under the name of Banahaw Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Belmonte filed the court action in a bid to get the property transferred under his name. BBC was previously owned by Benedicto.
The National Labor Relations Commission levied the lot as part of a labor case involving monetary claims against Banahaw worth over P12 million. Belmonte submitted the highest bid of P13.5 million in a public auction held in July 2013.
Banahaw did not exercise its right of redemption, leading to the issuance of a Sheriff’s Deed of Final Conveyance in August 2014. But records showed that the property was already under government custody since it was part of the assets Benedicto ceded under ill-gotten wealth recovery case Civil Case No. 0034 .
The Philippine government filed this case in 1987. The Presidential Commission on Good Government (PCGG) lifted the writs of sequestration on Benedicto’s remaining assets in return for surrendering billions worth of assets. It also granted him, his family, and officers and employees of his corporations absolute immunity of suit that included past, present, and future cases and investigations by the government.
Among the assets included the IBC, including rights over its franchise, land, relay stations, and provincial and radio stations worth over P3 billion. Three parcels of land in Bataan in the name of Piedras Petroleum Corporation with a combined value of P70.016 million were included as well.
Additionally, the assets included: A 6,000-square meter lot from BBC – Iligan City (P17.83 million) Two lots with a combined area of 5,161 square meters from BBC – Legazpi City (P22.19 million) A 5,952-square meter lot from BBC – Naga City (P19.
046 million) BBC-DWAN Radio (P1.362 million) 12,445 shares in Oceanic Wireless Network Inc. (P13.
63 million) 4.16 million shares in Radio Philippine Network Inc (RPN-9) (P33.29 million) Benedicto also agreed to surrender to the government all his rights, interest, and participations in Radio Philippines Network, which operated BBC, along with TV-9, its seven provincial TV stations, and seven provincial radio stations.
The Supreme Court affirmed the deal, which became final with an entry of judgment in December 1993. In its ruling, the Sandiganbayan noted that the PCGG filed a petition for the issuance of a new owners copy of a Transfer Certificate Title in February 2013, which was granted by a Lanao del Norte Regional Trial Court. The anti-graft court said that regardless of the property’s surrender to the PCGG, challenges regarding its ownership did not automatically fall under its jurisdiction.
The court explained that for a case to be under the Sandiganbayan, it must be related to an effort to recover ill-gotten wealth of the late former dictator Ferdinand E. Marcos, or his relatives, dummies, or agents. “There is no issue on any illegally acquired or misappropriated property at this instance.
This case does not relate to the recovery of ill-gotten wealth or any property that needs to be sequestered or assets that have already been placed under sequestration,” the Sandiganbayan said. – Rappler.com.
