The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld a Makati City court ruling favoring Ronnie Henares in a protracted family corporate dispute. The CA's Seventh Division, in a decision released on July 2, 2026, affirmed that Henares is a legitimate stockholder of Henlich Development Corporation and invalidated the 2019 election of corporate officers, in which he was prevented from participating.
Background of the Dispute
The conflict originated after Ronnie's sisters—Cecilia Chudiain, Rosario Anna Angeles, and Elvira Esguerra—proposed selling the family's house in Dasmariñas Village, Makati, which was then the residence of their father, Hilarion “Larry” Henares Jr., a former journalist who died in 2024 at age 100. The property is a principal asset of Henlich Development Corporation. Ronnie and his brothers, Alfredo and Daniel, opposed the sale because their father was still alive. They also raised concerns over their sisters' alleged control of another property owned by their father.
Invalidated 2019 Election
In April 2019, the siblings held an emergency board meeting where Ronnie was barred from voting in the election of new corporate officers, on the grounds that he was allegedly not a stockholder. His brothers challenged this, leading to a case in the Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC), which initially ruled in Ronnie's favor. The CA denied the sisters' petition to overturn that ruling, stating that Ronnie had been deprived of his right to vote as a stockholder.
Court Ruling
“The CA likewise ruled that the 2019 election of officers was invalid because Ronnie had been deprived of his right to vote as a stockholder,” the report stated. The court also noted that Ronnie's brothers, Alfredo and Daniel, supported him throughout the legal battle.
