ANGELES CITY – “These are old and stale allegations against Lakeshore.”
Thus said an official of Central Country Estate, , Inc. (CCEI) debunking the claims of realtor Luisito Hipolito that Lakeshore subdivision had illegally acquired its property and wrongly converted 48.6 hectares of land owned by farmers in Mexico town, Pampanga. CCEI is the company that owns Lakeshore.
In a statement, CCEI Vice President for Administration Edel Morales said “the fact is Hipolito had first filed a collection case against CCEI alleging that the company owes him commissions from a failed joint venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia Realty.”
“But the Regional Trial Court, after protracted hearing, dismissed the case for failure to state a cause of action, he said.
He added that it was in August 2006 when a certificate of finality of the decision had long been issued by the RTC.
Morales said that simultaneously with this court case, Hipolito also filed a case against CCEI with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) alleging unsound business practice and violation of the agrarian reform law.
“After due hearing and submission of evidence, HLURB also dismissed the case for lack of cause of action and for forum shopping,” Morales said.
He added that the HLURB awarded CCEI damages fine against Hipolito in the amount of P350,000 in January 2008.
Hipolito also filed a complaint against CCEI with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) alleging illegal conversion, it was learned.
“After several hearings and filing of position papers, DAR likewise dismissed the case in December 2008, while affirming the department’s earlier conversion order in favor of Lakeshore,” said the CCEI.
“A disturbing note about the claim of Hipolito that the acquisition by Lakeshore of some of its properties was illegal is that it was Hipolito himself who helped CCEI obtain the legal conversion of those properties, and was paid millions of pesos. It was really his own actuations that he was in effect questioning,” Morales noted.
Hipolito elevated the alleged illegal acquisition in the Court of Appeals (CA) but it was also dismissed.
The CA’s 8th division, after studying the case, also dismissed it in March 2009. Hipolito’s motion for reconsideration was similarly denied by the CA in January 2010.
Hipolito filed a petition for review before the Supreme Court but the Highest Tribunal also denied his petition for review in March 2010.
“All told, the RTC, the HLURB, the DAR, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court had been involved in passing upon the claims of Hipolito against CCEI. He lost them all,” Morales said.
He added that the Joint Venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia Realty “never was consummated, and even assuming it was consummated, Hipolito signed an agreement to get whatever commissions he might have had in the joint venture from Sta Lucia Realty.”
“Hipolito is not pursuing his claims out of principles or desire to protect the farmers or the interest of government. He is just sour he did not get the commissions he was expecting from the joint venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia. Now he turns to media to collect from Central Country Estate,” he added.
Thus said an official of Central Country Estate, , Inc. (CCEI) debunking the claims of realtor Luisito Hipolito that Lakeshore subdivision had illegally acquired its property and wrongly converted 48.6 hectares of land owned by farmers in Mexico town, Pampanga. CCEI is the company that owns Lakeshore.
In a statement, CCEI Vice President for Administration Edel Morales said “the fact is Hipolito had first filed a collection case against CCEI alleging that the company owes him commissions from a failed joint venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia Realty.”
“But the Regional Trial Court, after protracted hearing, dismissed the case for failure to state a cause of action, he said.
He added that it was in August 2006 when a certificate of finality of the decision had long been issued by the RTC.
Morales said that simultaneously with this court case, Hipolito also filed a case against CCEI with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) alleging unsound business practice and violation of the agrarian reform law.
“After due hearing and submission of evidence, HLURB also dismissed the case for lack of cause of action and for forum shopping,” Morales said.
He added that the HLURB awarded CCEI damages fine against Hipolito in the amount of P350,000 in January 2008.
Hipolito also filed a complaint against CCEI with the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) alleging illegal conversion, it was learned.
“After several hearings and filing of position papers, DAR likewise dismissed the case in December 2008, while affirming the department’s earlier conversion order in favor of Lakeshore,” said the CCEI.
“A disturbing note about the claim of Hipolito that the acquisition by Lakeshore of some of its properties was illegal is that it was Hipolito himself who helped CCEI obtain the legal conversion of those properties, and was paid millions of pesos. It was really his own actuations that he was in effect questioning,” Morales noted.
Hipolito elevated the alleged illegal acquisition in the Court of Appeals (CA) but it was also dismissed.
The CA’s 8th division, after studying the case, also dismissed it in March 2009. Hipolito’s motion for reconsideration was similarly denied by the CA in January 2010.
Hipolito filed a petition for review before the Supreme Court but the Highest Tribunal also denied his petition for review in March 2010.
“All told, the RTC, the HLURB, the DAR, the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court had been involved in passing upon the claims of Hipolito against CCEI. He lost them all,” Morales said.
He added that the Joint Venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia Realty “never was consummated, and even assuming it was consummated, Hipolito signed an agreement to get whatever commissions he might have had in the joint venture from Sta Lucia Realty.”
“Hipolito is not pursuing his claims out of principles or desire to protect the farmers or the interest of government. He is just sour he did not get the commissions he was expecting from the joint venture between CCEI and Sta Lucia. Now he turns to media to collect from Central Country Estate,” he added.
