Dear Nellie,
My name is Carmencita Schijven, a resident of Surrey, B.C., and I also have an unfortunate experience like yours in reference to one of the Juatco’s.
In early May 2011, ERLINDA JUATCO, publisher of PHILIPPINE ASIAN CHRONICLE, and I met at Smile Travel Agency in Surrey. She asked me if I can advertise in her paper as she badly needed help because apparently, her husband suffered from stroke and business has not been doing well. In May 27th, she sent me an email (shown below) offering a discount for advertising my insurance business in her paper. I took the offer and she went to my office on May 29th and I issued her a check as payment for my advertisement in the paper (shown below) While at my office, she asked me if I know somebody who lends money because she wanted to borrow $ 5,000. I told her to approach the owner of Cash Converter’s (which, coincidentally, is where your speaker was pawned) whom Erly and I both know but she said that she will not because “he is a Filipino and he will just gossip about it in the community.”
I felt at that time that she wanted to borrow from me but she was hesitant to say it directly. She started telling me stories about her husband; of how hard it is to go back and forth to the hospital while at the same time looking after the business; that she has many collectibles from advertisers but unable to collect because she has lots of things to do because her husband is unable to help. I asked her“Why would you have collectibles? Isn’t it that advertisers pay you right away? Just like me, once I agreed to you, I issued you the cheque right away?” She said that not all advertisers pay right away. She also mentioned a Realtors name who apparently used to be her lender but at that time was out of town.
Later at the conversation, she asked me to lend her $1500 because she has to print the newspaper already as it has to be out that week. She said she will pay me in just couple of days and in fact she will give me the check that time. Out of pity I gave her a $1500 check but told her that the money was supposed to be sent to the Philippines for my brother who was sick that time. She issued me a check postdated June 1st as the supposed payment to me with the assurance that there will be money already in their account on that day because she has many collectibles, and that I don’t have to worry about it.
When I deposited the check, it bounced. I contacted her repeatedly but she did not answer and was ignoring my calls. Weeks passed and one day, I used a different phone number and she picked up. She reasoned that she was in Tacoma that’s why she was unable to take my calls. According to her the check bounced because her credit card payments were all taken out from the account. She promised that she will pay. She sent me an email on July 19th (shown below) promising to pay. She said in the email that the Madrigal concert has used her time and effort. She said she will come to my office and pay me even just in half or in installments. One of my friends told me that the Madrigal concert was successful and that attendees paid $150 each for tickets and my friend even paid $1000 for sponsorship and that Philippine Asian Chronicle even announced that they will donate $10,000 to the Canadian Medical Mission Society out of the proceeds of the concert. I don’t know if that’s true but I was thinking how come they can donate $10,000 and not pay a $1,500 debt? I waited for her to pay me but she never did. She never showed up in my office. My calls were again ignored.
Months passed without contact between us as I also got busy. We met again in a party September of last year (2012). She approached me saying she can pay now because she is already receiving her pension. I told her to just do what she said. Once again, she promised she will come to my office and pay me half and in installments. I told her that if she intends to come should call me first because I wanted to be sure that I am in my office. I never received any call. Same old story. I am wondering now how many good people she had told these same words over and over again.
Months passed from that last encounter and I then started hearing many stories like mine involving her, and then I finally realized that I might have been scammed. I lend her the money out of the goodness in my heart and she gave me lots of convincing stories that she needed it badly and gave me the projection that she is capable of paying because they own the newspaper Philippine Asian Chronicle, but as I heard, apparently a number of people were also given the same story.
Last May 29, 2013, I went to Small Claims Court intending to sue her but I was told by the Court Clerk that the 2 year statutory limitation had lapsed and that if I wanted to sue her, I have to get a lawyer. Thinking about it I supposed it would be useless to sue her hiring a lawyer because even if I win the case, would she be able to pay me? And seeing those many Court Records on your link just strengthen my belief that maybe it will just not be worth it in the end – maybe I will just spend more money and effort. I am thinking, maybe she is aware of all these: the busy lives we live and the statutory limit, the difficulty that one must face when suing to collect money. I told myself though that I will just do my best to at least help prevent her having another “victim” like myself.
Last July 3, 2013, more than 2 years after it happened, I shared a bit of warning to my friends in my Facebook wall about being careful when lending money without mentioning her name and then 4 days after, on July 7th, I got a call from a Realtor friend of mine who happen to be their advertiser in their newspaper, Philippine Asian Chronicle, who told me that Erly Juatco asked him to talk to me about my posting and to give me the $700 check that he is supposed to pay them for advertising. My Realtor friend told me that Erly Juatco said she will then give me $500 more in cash the following week. I told my friend that I don’t want to involve him as he is already a 3rd party and to tell Erly Juatco that if she really wants to pay she can cash the check from him and then pay me. My realtor friend told me that she was sending me a message that she will come to my office to give me that $700 once she has already cash the check. She phoned on July 15 saying she will get the check from the Realtor. As of this writing, July 30th, as you would have guessed, she has not showed up.
I wonder how many more people like me and you out there. I also have heard a lot but like you said, those alleged stories are not ours to tell. I hope one day they will be writing it here too… like I did now.
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