CA denies DNA test petition filed by Wenn Deramas’ sister, nephews over property dispute

A recent decision by the Court of Appeals (CA)'s 15th Division has affirmed the inheritance rights of the late film director Edwin "Wenn" Deramas's two adoptive children, Gabriel Michael and Raphaella, over his properties in Quezon City and his bank deposits.

The legal battle began when Deramas's sister and nephews filed a petition through a Quezon City Regional Trial Court (RTC), demanding that Gabriel Michael and Raphaella undergo DNA testing. This move aimed to challenge the children's ownership claims to Deramas's "Bahay Toro" and "Bahay Balara" estates.

The dispute escalated in 2023 after the petitioners discovered that the properties had been transferred into the names of Gabriel Michael and Raphaella. They argued that the children were "informally" adopted and thus not legally Deramas's heirs. Curiously, their reasoning also included references to Deramas being a gay man and the children's mother, Ariane Manalo, being a lesbian, an argument the CA ultimately dismissed.

However, the Quezon City RTC previously found no necessity for a DNA test. This was based on the fact that Gabriel Michael and Raphaella successfully presented their certificates of live birth, which clearly identified Deramas and Manalo as their parents, thus legally establishing their lineage.

Wenn Deramas, who passed away in 2016 due to a heart attack, was a celebrated filmmaker responsible for numerous movies that significantly influenced Filipino pop culture, including hits like *Beauty and the Bestie*, *Petrang Kabayo*, and *Ang Tanging Ina*. Following his death, his sister and nephews had initially performed an extrajudicial settlement of his estate, aiming to divide his properties among themselves without court intervention.