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| Paternity test: Priest fathered woman's child |
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LOS ANGELES -- Twenty-year-old Jacqueline Milla grew up believing that her father was a priest. Now she knows it's true, and that the man has been living in Fremont. A court-ordered paternity test found that her father is Valentine Tugade, one of seven priests Rita Milla, Jaqueline's mother, says she had sex with. Milla and her attorney announced the results of test Monday. Tugade was found in Fremont last year after an emotional news conference where Jacqueline Milla called on Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahoney to aid her in identifying her father. Tugade was living in a condo and had a girlfriend, according to a People Magazine story published on June 3, 2002. He was ordered to take the paternity test less than six months ago, said attorney Gloria Allred, who is representing Jacqueline Milla. "He may have been called 'father' in church, but he was no father to me," Jacqueline Milla said. Rita Milla didn't know who the father of her child was when she became pregnant in 1980. An observant Catholic who had planned on one day becoming a nun, Rita Milla had long claimed she was molested by Father Santiago Tamayo of St. Philomena Church in Carson when she was 16. After she turned 18, she engaged in sexual intercourse with Tamayo and he introduced her to six other priests, with whom she alleges she also had sex. Tamayo publicly apologized to Rita Milla in 1991 and admitted he had sex with her. He died of a heart attack in 1999. Peter Manning, Tugade's attorney who is based in San Jose, could not be reached Monday. On Monday, Rita Milla said she felt vindicated by the Los Angeles Superior Court ruling issued Thursday that states her daughter and Tugade had a "parent-child" relationship. "Although my family and friends always believed me, this absolute proof should lay to rest any doubt that may have existed before in anyone's mind that I had a baby from a Catholic priest," Rita Milla said. Allred said the paternity test, which she described as "99.99 percent" accurate, could not be used to sue Tugade for back-pay of child support. However, she said it was useful evidence for a civil suit on behalf of Rita Milla against the Los Angeles Archdiocese and its former priests who allegedly had sex with her. Last year, Allred released documents showing the church urged Tamayo to stay in the Philippines after Jacqueline's birth -- and mailed checks to him there. In three letters -- dating from June 1984 to August 1988 -- church officials advised Tamayo not to reveal the source of the payments "unless requested under oath," noting that he was "liable for personal suits arising out of your past actions." Church spokeswoman Carolina Guevara said on Monday that archdiocese officials wrote to Allred on May 10, 2002, offering to help find the priests who might have fathered Jacqueline. But she said Allred never responded to the request. That set off a sidewalk sparring match between Allred and Guevara. "What information did they provide to us? None. Nada. Zilch. Zero," Allred said. "We are here to provide our support and prayers. We hope this information provides healing," Guevara said. The Associated Press contributed to this report. |
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