Woman accused of duping son-in-law’s father charged

THE National Bureau of Investigation in Central Visayas (NBI-7) filed charges of estafa against a woman who allegedly duped  the father of her son-in-law and pocketed P85,000.

Sonia Base, a resident of barangay Lahug, Cebu City, is facing an investigation before the Mandaue City Prosecutors’ Office after the NBI found sufficient evidence against her.

According to NBI Head Agent Rennan Augustus Oliva, Base offered to sell to Manuelito Navarro a memorial lot for P85,000 last Nov. 2011.

Base purportedly claimed that the lot was given to her by her aunt, Buenaventura Galan.

To prove that it was hers, Base brought Navarro and his father to the Queen City Memorial Garden in Cebu City where the lot the respondent wanted to sell was located.

“Since the subject was the mother of the complainant’s wife, they trusted her and accepted the offer,” Oliva said.

On Nov. 2011, the complainant gave Base P40,000 as down payment. Two months later, he paid another P30,000 to the respondent until he settled his obligation to the respondent.

Base then gave Navarro a Deed of Sale to formalize the sale of the memorial lot.

On Dec, 7, 2014, the complainant’s father died and it was decided to bury him in the memorial lot they had bought.

However, Navarro was surprised to learn that the lot Base sold to them wasn’t owned by the respondent.

Paul Delantar, the officer-in-charge of the cemetery, showed a certification that the owner of the subject lot is the respondent’s aunt.

Oliva said despite numerous demands, Base did not return the P85,000 to Navarro that led to the filing of charges against her.