Patrimonio ordered to pay off P200K in loan

MANILA, Philippines – The Court of Appeals has ordered former PBA star and current Purefoods team manager Alvin Patrimonio to pay off a 1994 loan worth P200,000 that he obtained through his then business partner Napoleon Gutierrez. The CA’s Special Former Special 15th Division, in a three-page resolution penned by Associate Justice Monina Arevalo-Zanarosa, asserted that Patrimonio failed to raise new issues that would warrant the reversal of its earlier ruling dated September 24, 2008. “Anent plaintiff-appellant’s (Patrimonio) motion for reconsideration, we are convinced that the arguments advanced therein have already been considered and passed upon by this Court in the assailed decision dated September 24, 2008. There are no compelling reasons to warrant a modification, much more, a reversal of aforestated decision," the Court ruled. Associate Justices Magdangal de Leon and Sixto C. Marella, Jr. concurred with the ruling. In its September 24, 2008 ruling, the CA has ordered Patrimonio to pay the complainant, Octavio Marasigan III, his former classmate, P200,000. This represented the amount Gutierrez borrowed from Marasigan in 1994 to allegedly finance the construction of the four-time PBA MVP’s house. Gutierrez later paid the loan using Patrimonio’s checks, which eventually bounced, prompting Marasigan to file estafa charges against the former PBA player. According to the CA, Patromonio was liable to pay Marasigan because he had authorized Gutierrez to use several of his blank checks, although this was on the condition that Gutierrez should inform him first before dispensing the checks. The appellate court said that although it was established that the money was not received by Patrimonio, the ex-player was still obliged to honor his check under the law. But the CA also reprimanded Marasigan for not verifying first with Patrimonio if he really needed money at that time considering that he was one of the highest paid cagers in the PBA back then. Patrimonio had sought the nullification of the loan, claiming this was made without his consent and knowledge. He stressed he only gave Gutierrez several blank checks for their business expenses. While Patrimonio was ordered to pay Marasigan, the CA also directed Gutierrez to reimburse Patrimonio the same amount. –GMANews.TV