Fil-Am loses bid to claim P1-B property in US

MANILA, Philippines - The California Court of Appeals (CA) has junked with finality the claim of a Filipino-American woman to properties in the US worth at least P1 billion that she claimed was part of her maternal grandfather’s estate.

The California CA upheld the decision of the San Mateo, California Court, which declared that Mary Anne Abad-Asis cannot be an heir of Martiniano Abad because her mother, the late Myrna Abad, was not legally adopted by Martiniano Abad, lawyer Salvador Belaro Jr. said in a statement. He is the dean of St. Dominic Savio College of Law and holds a master’s degree in international law from Cornell University.

Martiniano was reportedly an influential figure during the administration of President Carlos Garcia and once ran for Nueva Ecija governor. Plots of land and buildings in Metro Manila, Nueva Ecija, Laguna as well as California and Nevada were listed under his name.

Belaro said in the Philippines, Martiniano’s nephews and nieces filed a case to settle his estate before the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 77, seeking to make Asis account for Martiniano’s properties since she has been in custody of them and enjoying the income from these properties since his death in 2008.

Asis was allegedly able to take over the administration of most of the properties of Martiniano’s estate by forming the Abad Royale Corp., which she reportedly created by signing for Martiniano and his wife, Remedios, in the articles of incorporation. The couple was dead by the time the firm was created, Belaro said.

The Securities and Exchange Commission has charged Asis with falsification of public documents before the Quezon City Metropolitan Trial Court Branch 31.

Belaro said Asis was also charged with evading taxes of around P100 million in 2013 as executor of Martiniano’s estate. He said the Department of Justice is currently investigating the case.