Zaycos hit back at Tan over robbery, child abuse raps
Family members of murdered victim, Cindy Zayco-Tan who were named respondents in a complaint for robbery and child abuse hit back with curt denials and strong words of disdain against their accuser, Tan family matriarch Conchita Tan.
Docketed as I.S. No. 346-06 for Robbery, Police Supt. Renato Gumban, regional chief of the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (CIDG) stand as co-respondent alongside Michael Raymund Zayco, Natividad Zayco and Miguel Angel Sola.
The initial legal battle is an offshoot of the January massacre that took the lives of couple Bobby and Cindy Zayco-Tan and 5 year-old daughter Kathy. With two Tan stepsons named as principal suspects for murder and parricide, the two families are currently embroiled in a legal squabble with the five surviving Zayco-Tan siblings in the custody of their maternal relatives. Caught in the crossfire is the CIDG, the robbery and child abuse raps getting firsthand preliminary investigation ahead of the murder and parricide raps held in abeyance before the Iloilo City Prosecutors Office.
Conchita Tan in said complaint alleged that about P4.5 million in missing valuables were discovered in the Tan mansion as she went on to tag the four respondents as her suspects.
One charge the Zaycos and Sola vehemently denied as they similarly countered, the robbery as charged of them was nothing but clear harassment.
A "clear display of malicious design and arrogance," Natividad Zayco began in her counter-affidavit. "The complaint is totally fallacious and preposterous."
"Nothing but a concocted display of premeditated form of harassment," Sola for his part averred. "It is a baseless, speculative, malicious and perjurious complaint."
The twin denials backed by a joint affidavit executed by four of the Zayco-Tan children who said that such "is an account of what we felt towards our half-brothers, what we had to do to be relieved of it and what we believe should be brought to the attention of everyone concerned as to the true facts of the case."
"Ama's (Conchita Tan) Complaint-Affidavits for Robbery and Child Abuse are all lies. We feel bad that Ama is doing this to our Zayco relatives when they had nothing to do with how we felt and what we wanted except maybe in helping us in these matters," excerpts of the Joint-Affidavit went. The four surviving children also categorically stated no robbery took place or at least, as supposedly committed by Supt. Gumban, Sola and their Zayco relatives.
Tan in her robbery complaint said the safety deposit box of the murdered couple was forced open and its contents tampered, then a couple of expensive Rolex watches among those missing.
Yet the Zayco-Tan siblings countered in defense of their maternal relatives as three of the four siblings said, "we would like to state that the Zaycos had nothing to do with its opening. As a matter of fact, we (names of minor affiants withheld) witnessed its opening under the supervision and control of Ama, Tita Luz (Carlos Lim's wife), Tita Bucay and Kingkong (Tita Bucay's alalay) way before January 19, 2006 or on about January 10, 2006."
Meantime Child Abuse raps were also denied with respondents saying the allegations as contained in I.S. no 345-06 for violation of RA 7610 "are nothing but product of her wild imagination."
"All told, the allegations of Complainant in her Complaint are melodramatic presentation of self-serving narration of facts which are bereft of legal and factual credence," excerpts of the joint-affidavit executed by respondents Michael Zayco and Miguel Sola went.
"As can be gleamed from the counter-statement of facts, the children were never abducted or abused as falsely alleged by Complainant. The children willingly and voluntarily left Iloilo without any interference, persuasion, force or intimidation from any of the Respondents."
Sentiments further shared by Rosalinda Zayco and Natividad Garcia-Zayco who began their joint counter-affidavit with strong denial while saying the child abuse raps was "false and preposterous."