The children of shipping magnate Francisco “Don Paco” Delgado yesterday vowed to recover more than P100 million worth of properties lent by their father to his late second wife but were reportedly disposed of by his stepchildren.
At a press conference yesterday, the Delgado siblings Jose Marie, Franco and Isabel also sought justice for the murder last March 23 of their 51-year-old brother Federico.
Jose Mari, who spoke on behalf of his family, also revealed that the murder of Federico has something to do with the voluminous documents that his late brother was able to secure from the residence of his 91-year-old father and late wife Vicky Quirino-Gonzales.
He said the documents will show how his father’s assets were being siphoned and sold by the Gonzaleses.
The Delgados have also accused Vicky’s son Luisito Gonzales, the grandson of the late president Elpidio Quirino, as the killer who stabbed dead Federico at the Delgado-owned apartment building in Manila. Luisito also attacked Federico’s girlfriend who was also wounded.
“The Delgado family will be filing a number of civil cases against the Gonzales family for the recovery of huge amount of money and real estate property belonging to the Delgados,” Jose Mari said.
Lawyer Dion Rex Africa, counsel of the Delgados, said his clients will file the civil cases against the Gonzaleses for reconveyance of his father’s properties which include condominium and apartment units, several companies and other real estate property.
“These properties were clandestinely sold by the children of Vicky, thus, we will seek their reconveyance in favor of the Delgado family,” Africa said.
Aside from fingerprint expert’s testimony against Luisito for the murder of Federico, the Delgados cited the on-going dispute between the two families as evidenced by a number of letters found in the room of Don Paco after the death of Vicky Quirino as a motive in the killing.
Luisito and driver Antonio Buenaflor were charged with murder and frustrated murder by the Manila Police District after they were positively identified by Federico’s girlfriend, Annaliza Pesico, as their attackers.
The case is still under preliminary investigation at the Department of Justice (DOJ). Jose Mari said Prosecutor Cielitolindo Luyun has given Luisito and his driver until July 31 to submit their counter-affidavits.
Under the present rules covering proceedings before prosecutors, in case the suspect unreasonably fails to answer the charges against him, the prosecutor is constrained to resolve the case without waiting for his side.
Jose Mari said the Gonzalez family has no information on the whereabouts of Luisito and his driver.
“We are asking for nothing less than justice. We will not settle for the wrong person going to jail for what happened to our brother,” Jose Mari added.
A separate criminal case for robbery was also filed by the Delgados against Ruby Gonzalez-Meyer ,
Luisito’s sister, before the Makati City Prosecutor.
Delgado accused Ruby of having ordered the theft of the safety vault in the room of their father Don Paco, on November 30, 2006, a day after the death of Ruby’s mother, Vicky who died while on a visit to The Netherlands