DOJ orders filing of qualified theft vs Sing siblings

CEBU, Philippines — A family dispute over control and assets of a well-known Cebu-based auto parts business has taken a significant turn after the Department of Justice (DOJ) reversed earlier findings by the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office and ordered the filing of qualified theft charges against the siblings of the late Arturo Yu Sing.

In a resolution dated March 3, 2025, obtained by The Freeman, the DOJ granted the petition for review filed by Arturo’s wife, Anna Marie Sing, and their son, Aaron. The petition challenged the dismissal of their complaints against Arturo’s siblings — Susana Yu Sing, Joseph Yu Sing, and Imelda Sing Copo.

The dispute centers on New Pioneer Auto Supply, a business Arturo Yu Sing built and operated as its sole proprietor.

Although Arturo had asked his siblings to help him with the business, documents and witness testimonies show that no formal co-ownership or partnership agreement was ever established — despite claims made by Arturo’s siblings to the contrary.

When Arturo succumbed to cancer on February 17, 2024, his family alleged that his siblings unlawfully removed and sold business assets. This, they claimed, resulted in financial hardship and deprived them of their rightful inheritance.

The conflict escalated after Aaron was informed by a staff member that stocks and supplies had been removed without the family’s authorization.

Private efforts to resolve the matter amicably failed, and Aaron and his mother were reportedly subjected to verbal abuse by Arturo’s siblings. This led to the filing of separate cases for qualified theft and grave oral defamation.

In late 2024, the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office dismissed the qualified theft charges and downgraded the grave oral defamation complaint to slight oral defamation, which was subsequently dismissed due to prescription.

Contesting these findings, the heirs filed a motion for reconsideration, arguing that the Prosecutor’s Office committed serious factual and legal errors.

They maintained that while Arturo had involved his siblings in day-to-day operations, the business remained solely under his ownership — a claim corroborated by longtime employees of New Pioneer Auto Supply.

The respondents countered that they were business partners, citing joint bank accounts and an alleged agreement signed by their late mother, Juana Sing, assigning rights over Cebu Pioneer Auto Supply to her children. They also argued that Arturo’s bank accounts, although solely in his name, were used as part of their alleged partnership.

Arturo’s heirs firmly rejected these claims, pointing out that Susana Yu Sing only returned to the business in late 2023 — years after Arturo’s cancer diagnosis in 2018. They also noted that no liquidation, accounting, or division of assets was initiated by Arturo’s siblings during or after his lifetime — a key indicator, they said, that the business was solely owned by Arturo.

The heirs also highlighted unauthorized bank withdrawals made after Arturo’s death — allegedly under a power of attorney that had automatically lapsed upon his passing — arguing these actions constituted theft, regardless of any claimed debts.

Additionally, Anna Marie and Aaron filed a complaint for grave oral defamation, alleging that Arturo’s siblings publicly called them “deceitful, tricksters, and a shame to the Sing name” in front of store employees. The complaint was filed just before the expiration of the prescriptive period.

Despite presenting documentary evidence and eyewitness accounts, the initial rulings of the Prosecutor’s Office were unfavorable to the complainants, prompting them to elevate the matter to the DOJ.

After reviewing the evidence, the DOJ found that the elements of qualified theft under Article 310 of the Revised Penal Code were sufficiently established.

“WHEREFORE, the petition for review is GRANTED. The Resolutions dated June 3, 2024, and August 30, 2024, issued by the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office are REVERSED and SET ASIDE,” stated the DOJ resolution signed by Justice Secretary Crispin Remulla.

The DOJ ordered that criminal information for qualified theft be filed against Susana Yu Sing, Joseph Yu Sing, and Imelda Sing Copo before the appropriate court.

Following the DOJ’s directive, the respondents each posted a cash bail of ?120,000 on March 31, 2025.

Still dissatisfied, the private complainants, through counsel, moved to cancel the recommended bail, citing an erroneous valuation of the assets involved.

They argued that the Cebu City Prosecutor’s Office “erroneously indicate[d] a much-reduced value of ?1,136,373.60 on the auto parts and supplies taken away from the lawful heirs instead of the close to ?7.8 million pesos,” the amount cited in their petition for review to the DOJ — a petition that was granted “in toto.”

The Freeman tried on several occasions to reach the respondents for comment, but they could not be contacted as of press time. — (FREEMAN)