NEWSFLASH

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SHARON SUED AGAIN FOR PASAY CONDO

Pasay City, Oct. 14, 1998 - Megastar Sharon Cuneta faces a second case of estafa in connection with a condominium project in Pasay City which lured investors through ads and sales materials carrying the photo and endorsement of the actress.

The Manila Times today reports that Bernadette Tiongson, the in-house lawyer of Metro-Media, publisher of the Times and Bandera, has filed estafa charges against Sharon and Emilio Ching, alleged co-owners of the ECE Realty Development Inc., and Gertrudez Kalaw.

A similar complaint was filed last month by businesswomen Mila Alora and Mary Jean Chua also in connection with the same condominium project.

Tiongson claims that she was lured in 1995 to buy a unit in the Central Park II condo project because of its advertised location, which the ads alleged to be Heneral Tinio St., Bangkal, Makati. The condo project's advertisements, published in widely circulated newspapers, had the photo of Sharon and her signature endorsing the project.

Tiongson paid a total of P135,000 up to mid-1996, when she discovered that the actual location of the project was Pasay City and not Makati. She also saw the entrance of the condo, which was through a narrow lane along Jorge Street, through a squatters' area, and too narrow to accommodate more than one car at a time.

She claims that the condo company refused to refund her payments when she decided to recede the contract because of the discrepancies.

Sharon's husband, lawyer Francis Pangilinan, said the actress will be absolved of all charges because she has nothing to do with the realty firm.

"Sharon is neither co-owner nor an officer of ECE Realty and Development, Inc.," Pangilinan said, although he admitted that his wife had put up C and C Realty Development Inc., a different company, with her co-accused Ching in 1994.

Pangilinan claims Sharon quit the partnership two years later and instructed her business partner to stop using her name and picture in his transactions.

The actress is reportedly considering filing a damage suit against Ching, for unnecessarily dragging her name into the cases.

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