The Court of Appeals (CA) has upheld a Makati City court ruling in favor of actor Ronnie Henares and his brothers, Alfredo and Daniel, in a long-running dispute over their family corporation.

The exact date the ruling became final was not specified in the public release, but the resolution affirming the Makati Regional Trial Court’s (RTC) decision was publicly announced on 2 July 2026.

The CA’s Seventh Division ruled that Ronnie is a legitimate stockholder of Henlich Development Corporation and invalidated the 2019 election of corporate officers, in which he was barred from participating.

The appellate court denied the petition filed by Ronnie’s sisters — Cecilia Chudiain, Rosario Anna Angeles, and Elvira Esguerra — seeking to overturn the Makati RTC ruling.

The dispute stemmed from a proposal to sell the family’s house in Dasmariñas Village, Makati, which served as the residence of the siblings’ father, the late journalist Hilarion “Larry” Henares Jr. The property is also the principal asset of Henlich Development Corporation.

The brothers opposed the sale, saying they did not want their elderly father to relocate. They also raised concerns over their sisters’ control of another family property.

In April 2019, the siblings held an emergency meeting as members of the corporation’s board. During the meeting, Ronnie was prevented from voting in the election of new officers on the ground that corporate records allegedly showed he was not a stockholder.

The brothers challenged the election before the Makati RTC, which ruled that Ronnie was a shareholder and declared the election invalid.

The RTC based its ruling on the testimonies of Ronnie and Alfredo, who said Ronnie was initially excluded as an incorporator because he was dealing with marital issues. According to them, the arrangement was intended to prevent Ronnie’s then-wife from claiming any interest in the family’s properties.

They also testified that Ronnie’s shares were held in trust by Alfredo and that Ronnie was formally recognized as a stockholder only after his annulment.

The sisters challenged the RTC ruling before the CA, arguing, among other things, that there was no document showing a valid transfer of shares to Ronnie, no paper trail supporting the alleged trust agreement between Ronnie and Alfredo, and that Ronnie’s inclusion in corporate documents did not automatically make him a shareholder.

However, the CA’s Seventh Division, in a decision penned by Associate Justice Wilhelmina Jorge-Wagan, rejected their arguments and ruled that Ronnie is a shareholder, finding that “an express trust over [his] shares in Henlich existed from the time of incorporation.”

The court cited testimonies showing that the siblings’ mother, Cecilia Lichauco-Henares, established Henlich for the benefit of her children, who were intended to participate equally in and benefit from the corporation.

The CA said the arrangement to initially exclude Ronnie from the articles of incorporation because of his marital issues was corroborated by corporate records and by the conduct of the parties before the dispute arose.

It noted that Ronnie was later listed as a shareholder after his marital issues were resolved and was given shares in addition to those held by Alfredo. Because of the mutual trust among the siblings, the brothers did not deem it necessary to formally transfer the entrusted shares.

The CA also rejected the sisters’ claim that Alfredo improperly made Ronnie a shareholder.

According to the court, from the time Ronnie became a shareholder and director, his siblings elected him to corporate positions, participated in meetings with him, and represented him to third parties as both a director and shareholder.

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.