CEBU, Philippines - The former monk who has filed libel charges against Cebu Archbishop Ricardo Cardinal Vidal and five others will be seeking help of forensic experts to prove that he is innocent of the charges of estafa that was filed against him.
Venancio Cabillon will be going to authorities after being bombarded with charges before the Provincial Prosecutors Office recently. He has been charged with estafa and acts of lasciviousness by two monks, one of them claiming that Cabillon sexually molested him.
Abelio Mangila, also known as Frater Martin Mary, filed charges of estafa against Cabillon for allegedly misappropriating more than P500,000 worth of cash and assorted items donations for the Monastery of Our Lady in Hilongos, Leyte and for allegedly asking money and a prepaid load for his cell phone from an eatery owner named Pastora Superable.
Superable claimed Cabillon asked for P500 cash for his transportation expenses as he will transfer to another monastery.
Three days after the cash was given, Cabillon sent Superable a text message asking for P60 cell phone load.
Cabillon allegedly claimed the cell phone load would be used to solicit funds from other MMEA benefactors. But the P60 later grew to P1,200 as every three days, Superable said, Cabillion would send her text messages again asking for the same amount.
It wasn't until after two months that she learned Cabillon is no longer connected with the monastery.
But Cabillon denied all these accusation, saying he will prove they are all not true. In fact, one of those from Leyte has filed an affidavit supporting the former monk’s statements.
Cabillon said they will be asking the court to issue an order to ask the monks to hand the original copies of the documents that he allegedly signed to the forensic experts to see if those affixed in the receipts were really his signatures.
Dr. Edwin Fonghe, Cabillon’s keeper, said that he had talked with the ex-monk and said that the latter has been “weary” these days as he is being bombarded with charges. However, he said Cabillon will still continue with the fight.
Fonghe said that if proven that Cabillon was not the one who signed the documents, they will be filing counter charges of falsification of documents and perjury against the monks.
According to him, Cabillon has not remembered signing any document to prove that he got hold of a monstrance and a necklace. He however admitted that Cabillon was made to send monobloc chairs to Leyte. – Jasmin R. Uy/WAB (THE FREEMAN)