ANATALIA Booc, the woman who claims to have “valuable interest” in the 42,329-square-meter lot purchased by the Mactan-Cebu International Airport Authority (MCIAA) from the heirs of Pulvera/Patalinghug in the amount of P590 million, visited me last Saturday at the GMA 7 broadcast complex to belie allegations that she is fictitious. MCIAA officials claimed that Booc is fictitious person because the letters of MCIAA General Manager Nigel Paul Villarete were not received in her residence in PBN Housing in Nivel Hills, Busay, Cebu City. She told this writer that she has been frequenting her hometown in Zambaonga del Sur after this issue was exposed in the media because she has been receiving death threats.
Booc showed additional evidence to prove that her claim of 1/8 percent of the entire property is legal and legitimate. She almost cried while she told me how she helped and worked with the Pulvera/Patalinghug heirs, who are also her close relatives, to recover the lot from the defunct Air Transportation Office (ATO), which was later turned over to the MCIAA upon the creation of its charter. She said she worked closely with Eduarda Pulvera Patalinghug, the elder of the heirs, because the others were to poor to finance the protracted litigation at the Regional Trial Court (RTC) in Lapu-Lapu City until the court ruled in their favor.
She even went to Manila to retrieve some documents as the heirs were already old enough to do the “nitty gritty” of securing documents from various government agencies. She said she almost boarded the ill-fated mv Princess of the Orient of Sulpicio Lines. One of the heirs, Maximo Pulvera, son of the original owner, is disabled. She really helped the Pulveras in reconstituting the lot from ATO.
The Pulvera heirs were the ones who offered her the 1/8 portion of the lot because she financed everything with the help of a businessman-friend. The agreement was covered with a judicial declaration in the court of RTC Judge Victor Teves.
When asked why her name did not surface during the pendency of the case, she said she was not party to the case and in fact the whole lot is not yet subdivided up to now. It is still under the name of Juan Pulvera. But when she learned that the Pulveras were open for settlement with the MCIAA when the case was still pending before the Court of Appeals (CA), she informed MCIAA officials in her series of letters to Villarete. But it seemed Villarete ignored here letters until the payment was released under the name of Eduarda Pulvera Patalinghug last June.
Booc said she was left out in the final negotiations as there were already several “kibitzers” who were “real estate agents.” She mentioned the names of a certain Baby Samonte and Atty. Manda. Laway ra kunoy puhunan aning mga tawhana. But they received big share of the proceeds. A son-in-law of Eduarda Pulvera, who is not even an original claimant, now holds a huge part of the proceeds. She also received information that the heirs received only P200 million. The siblings of the heirs are now in “disagreement” as to the amount received by their principals.
Natural bisan ug ako namay anak sa mga sumusunod moreklamo gyud ko kay gamay ra man ang nadawat sa akong mga ginikanan. Ako god maoy sumusunod sa ilang kabtangan. Unya nahibalo ko nga P590 ang halin. Daghan man gani nag-away anang peso lang kana pang minilyon. Pero ang uban mga sumosunod wala maninyo.
Now, if this is true that the heirs only received P200 million, who received the P390 million? Is the money still intact? Why did other individuals who are not even related to the heirs and had no part in the negotiations receive huge shares? Booc has a valid claim but she was left out? Because she did not succumb to the pressure of the Pulveras and MCIAA officials about the buying price of P14,000 per square meter, which she also viewed as “overpriced.”
Para niya sobra ra ang maong presyo kay uyon naman gani siya nga paliton og P3,500 per square meter o base sa zonal valuation nga P7,500. Kuntento na siya sa maong presyo. Maayo kay honest pod ni si Booc. She is determined to claim her share whatever the cost. She felt shortchanged. She is not afraid to face any investigation because she has nothing to hide and she is a legitimate claimant of that portion of the lot based on their agreement with the Pulvera and it is covered by a judicial declaration.
She appreciated the move of Cris Saavedra, who is filing criminal cases against those involved in the deal, as she also “smelled” that something is highly questionable in it. She said that if this deal will be scuttled because of the cases filed by Saavedra before the ombudsman and in the Office of the President, she’ll happy so that truth will prevail. Anyway, she will not be affected because she did receive anything from the deal and her “share” will still be intact because it has a court declaration.
(bobby@sunstar.com.ph)