Tuesday, February 13, 2007 Cardinal ‘brokered’ settlement of case
CEBU Archbishop Ricar-do Cardinal Vidal allegedly brokered the settlement between Fr. Jose “Joey” Belciña and the priest’s former scholar who accused him of rape.
The accusation was circulated through a letter signed by one Norma Enriquez.
“The Cardinal was restless. He exerted efforts to settle the issue so that the case will not reach full-blown trial,” Enriquez’s letter read.
“Ambot lang, wala ko kabalo ana,” (I do not know about that.) Cebu Archdio-cesan media liaison officer Msgr. Achilles Dakay said when asked to comment.
In an earlier interview with Sun.Star Cebu, Vidal said he has not seen Belciña for a long time since the allegations of rape came out.
While the letter was signed by Enriquez, she couldn’t be reached for interview.
Former radio reporter Leo Alvarado said he received the letter from a woman yesterday afternoon at the Palace of Justice. He didn’t know the woman, who asked him if he could circulate the letter to the media.
Insistent
The letter carried the title “Belciña case report.”
Enriquez said Provincial Board (PB) Member Agnes Magpale used to be “very aggressive and insistent” in sending Belciña to jail.
Magpale heads the provincial women’s council in the PB.
Last year, an 18-year-old woman accused Belciña of raping her thrice. The first incident happened when she was still 17 years old.
But a panel of prosecutors only recommended the filing of a child abuse case in relation to the first incident.
But last month, the woman asked the court to drop the case against the priest because she wants to “move on.”
Enriquez< alleged that the issue is deeper than that.
According to her one-page letter, Vidal sought the help of Danao City Mayor Ramon “Nito” Durano III.
“Mayor Durano cannot say ‘no’ to him; Magpale also cannot say ‘no’ to Mayor Durano,” Enriquez’s letter read.
“The settlement started with Magpale, Durano and Vidal, through his broker (Vidal’s lawyer). Thus, the negotiation prospered,” the letter read.
Without Magpale’s support, the case will not flourish, the letter said.
The settlement allegedly included a public apology, a P300,000 cash for damages and employment for the complainant’s father.
Sun.Star Cebu tried to contact Magpale and Gloria Lastimosa-Dalaw-ampu, Belciña’s lawyer, for comment. Nobody answered the calls.
In an earlier interview, both said that they were unaware of any settlement.
Magpale admitted that Belciña’s apology during a mass at the Barangay Maslog parish church on the last day of 2006 was a demand from the comp-lainant’s family.
Dalawampu belied this, saying there was no mention of the complainant in the apology. The apology was meant for the parishioners who were “hassled” by the issue.
Unaware
Magpale also said she was unaware of a P300,000 settlement. Although she said it was just but practical since the complainant’s father lost his carpentry job in pursuing the case.
Enriquez further claimed, “Atty. (Chezie) Demegillo did not attend the hearing after learning of the settlement efforts because he wanted to pursue the case until the end.”
Demegillo is the com-plainant’s lawyer. But during the hearing for the prosecution’s motion to dismiss, the complainant was represented by Danao City Prosecutor Jose Dionisio Kyamko. (JGA)
