By Cherrie Anne E. Villahermosa
Variety News Staff

THE Superior Court has denied the request of a businessman to be reimbursed for the money he spent for the funeral of his brother who died in 2005.
Associate Judge Juan T. Lizama denied the request of Juan Camacho for the reimbursement of $9,911.65 that he spent for the funeral expenses of Vicente Cabrera Camacho.
Vicente C. Camacho was the former owner of Summer Holiday Hotel which is now managed by Juan Camacho.
He wants the estate of Vicente Camacho to pay him back the $9,911.65.
The request was filed in court in September last year and a preliminary hearing was held on Nov. 7, 2006.
Lizama said Juan Camacho’s claim is not the typical subject of post-funeral squabbles.
The judge said there has been no objection to the nature of expenditures incurred, nor is there a dispute as to who should receive the “chenchules” — the donations made to the family members under Chamorro custom for defraying funeral expenses.
Lizama said Juan Camacho has already taken the chenchules which amounted to some $11,000 in cash and checks made out mostly to cash.
According to the judge, the dispute is whether Juan Camacho is entitled to reimbursement of his expenditures on the grounds that he has been saving the chenchules to return to various donors at their funerals.
Juan Camacho reported that he has already spent some $3,000 in this manner and will continue to save the remainder of chenchules for eventual return to other donors.
Juan Camacho suggested that his actions were in accord with Chamorro custom.
But Lizama said no one presented expert testimony on the Chamorro custom of chenchule.
He said chenchule are placed in a box in the church during the time of the funeral. They belong not to the estate of the deceased, but are accepted by the deceased’s relatives to defray funeral expenses, the judge said.
He added that the chenchules that Juan Camacho took for the expenses he incurred are rightfully his.
He was also entitled to take custody of the remaining chenchules provided that he had the consent of the other relatives, Lizama said.
He added that once Juan Camacho received the chenchules, he was more than compensated.
When he decided to give away $3,000, he gave away his own money, Lizama said. The $3,000 was not a funeral expenditure to be covered by the chenchules, he added.
Lizama said the chenchule is not collateral to be given at one funeral and returned at another. “One chenchule has nothing to do with another — rather it is given out of the goodness of one’s heart.”
Lizama said Juan Camacho has 30 days to produce expert testimony to the contrary.