About 200 owners of burial plots in a Caloocan City cemetery are set to file criminal charges against the father of one of President Estrada’s mistresses for allegedly vandalizing and robbing the tombs of their loved ones.
Francisco Ong, the leader of the group, said they made the discovery when they visited the Eternal Gardens Memorial Park last All Saints’ Day.
Many of the tombs had missing nameplates, and mausoleums were robbed of cable wires and even airconditioners, allegedly stolen by security men OF Alfonso Enriquez, Ong said.
It all began when Enriquez, father of former actress Laarni Enriquez, won a Supreme Court decision awarding ownership of a 1.3-hectare portion of the cemetery to him.
The court sided with Enriquez, who said that he was the rightful owner of the land and Eternal Gardens had no right to sell the plots.
"Since the court has ruled in our favor, Mr. Enriquez is officially a co-owner of the portion of the park with a Leila Sevilla," said Alejandro Fajardo, Enriquez’s lawyer.
Fajardo said it is now up to the lot owners to buy back their burial plots from Enriquez.
Ong said the grave owners have been complaining since October that Enriquez’s security men have preventing them from entering the disputed portion of the cemetery and even fenced it off.
Ong said they had to secure an order to the Caloocan City regional trial court compelling Enriquez to allow the complainants to visit the graves.
But Fajardo claimed Enriquez allowed the complainants to visit the graves last All Saints’ Day – out of compassion. But Enriquez then barred the complainants from entering the disputed portion of the cemetery after Nov. 4, Ong said.
The STAR tried to interview Enriquez but he refused to comment.