Engineer gets four to 20 years for estafa

MANILA, Philippines - An engineer will spend four to 20 years in prison after a Quezon City court convicted him of estafa last Monday.

Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 77 Judge Germano Francisco Legaspi found Angelo Canlas guilty of estafa.

The court ordered Canlas to pay more than P4.2 million to Murin Well Drilling Ltd. Co. as payment for equipment that he borrowed, but failed to return in 2001.

“The defense failed to present a single evidence on the numerous allotted to it by the court. Hence on June 25, 2013 the defense was considered to have waived its right to present its evidence and the instant case was considered submitted for decision,” the judge said.

“The prosecution proved the element of prejudice on the part of Murin Well through the continued failure of the accused in returning the drilling equipment or pay its equivalent value,” Legaspi added.

The court said the complainant not only failed to recover the drilling equipment, but also lost the opportunity to realize profits from the rental of the equipment.