Bacolod Regional Trial Court Judge Anita Chua has sentenced two women to 11 years imprisonment for the crime of estafa through falsification of public document, and has issued a warrant of arrest for an employee of Negros Occidental Register of Deeds.

In her decision, a copy of which was obtained by the DAILY STAR yesterday, Chua sentenced Wilma  Palacios Edrosolano, alias Leonor Ferrer, and Ruth Pula, alias Josefina Pandan, to two years  and 11 months as minimum to 11 years as maximum imprisonment.

They were also ordered to pay private complainant Christina Erojo jointly the amount of P80,000 as actual damages.

Chua also issued an alias warrant of arrest against the accused, Gracelda Locsin, a cash clerk I of the Register of Deeds of the province of Negros Occidental.

Erojo met Locsin sometime in September 2001 while she was transferring the title of a parcel of land she bought in Valladolid, Negros Occidental.

Locsin, who was employed at the Register of Deeds, introduced Erojo to Edrosolano saying the latter wanted to mortgage her property for an P80,000 loan.

Information filed in court said Locsin presented to Erojo a falsified owner’s duplicate certificate of TCT No. T-236049 covering Lot 321-C, Bacolod Cadaste, registered in the name of Leonor Ferrer with a falsified certified copy of the original title from the Office of the Bacolod City Register of Deeds for the purpose of obtaining a loan.

Locsin introduced Edrosolano as Leonor Ferrer and Pula as Josefina Pandan to Erojo. In a real estate mortgage document prepared, wherein Erojo would provide the accused with an P80,000 loan Edrosolano affixed her signature as owner-mortgager of the property with a fake title and Pula signed as witness, using  Pandan as her name.

When Edrosolano failed to pay the loan after a lapse of several months, Erojo discovered from the Register of Deeds that the land title given her was owned by someone else.

Pula and Edrosolano pleaded not guilty when arraigned.

Pula jumped bail while Edrosolano failed to present any evidence in her defense, the judge said. Locsin has remained at large.*CPG

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