Heirs to settle Buddha case out of court
By Delmar Cariño -- Inquirer
BAGUIO CITY—The heirs of Golden Buddha finder Rogelio Roxas will put up a museum in his honor with the bronze-plated Buddha statue in court custody serving as the main attraction.
Henry Roxas, Rogelio’s eldest son, said the plan to build a museum could be the best possible solution to settle the custody issue surrounding the controversial find, believed to be a replica of the original Golden Buddha seized from Rogelio in 1971.
However, Henry, 39, said the heirs’ latest move does not mean that they are abandoning their claim that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos took from their father the real Golden Buddha statue 35 years ago.
“We know that the statue in court has no value except for its metal content but the Roxas children wanted to get it just the same to end the issue on who should bring it home,” said Edgar Avila, the heirs’ lawyer.
Avila recently informed Judge Fernando Vil Pamintuan, the judge handling the custody fight, that Rogelio’s heirs had agreed to enter into an extrajudicial settlement over the Buddha finder’s estate, including the fake Buddha.
Under court rules, an extrajudicial settlement meant that the Roxas heirs would have to come up with an out-of-court agreement on how to divide Rogelio’s property, if he had any left, and decide on who would own the statue.
The agreement will have to be submitted to the court for approval before the statue could be released.
Avila said the court could no longer conduct further hearings on the case since the custody issue had already been decided in 1996.
He was referring to the decision of Judge Antonio Reyes which then held that the item in court custody formed part of Rogelio’s estate and must be legally disposed of.
Jose Roxas, the eldest brother of Rogelio, did not raise any objection to his nephews’ decision to exclude him from the settlement.
Jose, 74, a key maker in Olongapo City, angered his nephews when he testified in court that his brother Rogelio found no Golden Buddha other than the one kept by the court.
“I really wanted to get the statue, but the case is taking too long and I am already old. If the court will not give it to me, it’s all right,” he said.
Jose revived the controversy when he asked the court in 1995 to release the statue to him as a memento of his brother’s treasure hunting activities.
His request, however, was opposed by Rogelio’s children, Henry and his brother Gervic, the Treasure Hunters Association of the Philippines Inc. (Thapi), and the Office of the Solicitor General.
The OSG and Thapi have yet to comment on the heirs’ decision.
Named as co-heirs of Henry and Gervic were their mother Victoria and Rogelio’s children by his second wife Rosavilla—Rowena, Rosa, Rally, Jeanna, Johanna and Janessa
Henry Roxas, Rogelio’s eldest son, said the plan to build a museum could be the best possible solution to settle the custody issue surrounding the controversial find, believed to be a replica of the original Golden Buddha seized from Rogelio in 1971.
However, Henry, 39, said the heirs’ latest move does not mean that they are abandoning their claim that the late strongman Ferdinand Marcos took from their father the real Golden Buddha statue 35 years ago.
“We know that the statue in court has no value except for its metal content but the Roxas children wanted to get it just the same to end the issue on who should bring it home,” said Edgar Avila, the heirs’ lawyer.
Avila recently informed Judge Fernando Vil Pamintuan, the judge handling the custody fight, that Rogelio’s heirs had agreed to enter into an extrajudicial settlement over the Buddha finder’s estate, including the fake Buddha.
Under court rules, an extrajudicial settlement meant that the Roxas heirs would have to come up with an out-of-court agreement on how to divide Rogelio’s property, if he had any left, and decide on who would own the statue.
The agreement will have to be submitted to the court for approval before the statue could be released.
Avila said the court could no longer conduct further hearings on the case since the custody issue had already been decided in 1996.
He was referring to the decision of Judge Antonio Reyes which then held that the item in court custody formed part of Rogelio’s estate and must be legally disposed of.
Jose Roxas, the eldest brother of Rogelio, did not raise any objection to his nephews’ decision to exclude him from the settlement.
Jose, 74, a key maker in Olongapo City, angered his nephews when he testified in court that his brother Rogelio found no Golden Buddha other than the one kept by the court.
“I really wanted to get the statue, but the case is taking too long and I am already old. If the court will not give it to me, it’s all right,” he said.
Jose revived the controversy when he asked the court in 1995 to release the statue to him as a memento of his brother’s treasure hunting activities.
His request, however, was opposed by Rogelio’s children, Henry and his brother Gervic, the Treasure Hunters Association of the Philippines Inc. (Thapi), and the Office of the Solicitor General.
The OSG and Thapi have yet to comment on the heirs’ decision.
Named as co-heirs of Henry and Gervic were their mother Victoria and Rogelio’s children by his second wife Rosavilla—Rowena, Rosa, Rally, Jeanna, Johanna and Janessa
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