Judge claims late ma's ex stole P3 M from family home

MANILA, Philippines - A trial court judge is accusing a former partner of her deceased mother of stealing at least P3 million from the family’s ancestral house in Quezon City.

The stolen items involved P3 million, pieces of jewelry and land titles, according to investigator Police Officer 2 Jose Roland Belgica.

San Mateo, Rizal Regional Trial Court Judge Josephine Zarate Fernandez, 55, who resides in Fairview, is pointing to Gilbert San Diego Carlos, 35; an engineer, Emanuel Bitug; and a certain Beta and a certain Kano.

Fernandez sought police assistance to protect the estate of her mother, lawyer Adalia Blas Francisco, 79, president of A-Francisco Reality Development Corp., who died last July.

Belgica said Francisco was the live-in partner of San Diego and the two lived together at the family’s ancestral house in White Plains Subdivision for almost six years. Belgica said San Diego claimed to be the legal husband of the deceased lawyer and, when her mother died, “(allegedly) took over the house and installed severed CCTV without the knowledge of the consent victim’s family.”

At around 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Fernandez went to the house after her sister called her up and told her about the presence of a man there.

Upon arrival, Fernandez saw men taking her mother’s figurine collection. She said she tried to stop them but they threatened to harm her. The suspects allegedly attempted to attack her but neighbors arrived.

When she and the helpers opened the room of her mother, she found out that jewelry and other valuables were already missing.

Belgica said Fernandez claimed that she recalled that while her mother was still confined in a hospital, San Diego allegedly took her ailing mother’s bag, which contained keys to the house.