The Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC) reaffirmed its earlier decision on mixed succession that recognized Sen. Maria Ana Consuelo "Jamby" Madrigal as a legal heir to her aunt's fortune.

In an eight-page order, Judge Oscar Pimentel of Makati RTC Branch 148 declared as final and executory his court ruling dated July 2, 2008 regarding the distribution of the estate of the late Consuelo "Chito" Madrigal.

According to Pimentel, "the decedent Consuelo 'Chito' Madrigal did not dispose of all her properties in her last will and testament because her said will merely specified certain properties which she herself, in her petition for probate valued at P26,135,137.23." 

The said 2008 ruling called for mixed succession, instructing the lawyers of the late Madrigal matriarch to administer her will, while legal succession will take place with respect to properties not included in her will and are worth more than P26 million.

"With the Order of the Court dated 2 July 2008 having attained finality and the rules of legal succession now in operation with respect to the properties over and above P26,134,137.23, all legal heirs of the decedent have sufficient legal personality to participate in the proceedings herein, and this includes Senator Madrigal and all other heirs manifested by her in the Manifestation filed on 1 August 2008," the Makati RTC said in its final ruling.

In other words, Madrigal, as one of the legal heirs, will get an equal share of her aunt's remaining wealth, which includes 18 corporations, bank deposits, and numerous other holdings both in the country and overseas, which was said to be worth "tens of billions of pesos."

In a press conference in Quezon City on Friday, Madrigal expressed satisfaction over the latest court decision, saying that it was a "victory in honor of her aunt's memory" and a "clear indication that her wishes for the poor to have a share in her estate shall now be fully respected."

Meanwhile, Madrigal appealed to her relatives, as well as financial institutions and government agencies, to respect the said ruling. "Now is the time to end all of this. We are more than blessed with our needs, now is the time to ensure that my aunt's wishes be respected." she said.