Corona sold 4 Quezon city properties – witness

By JEFFERSON ANTIPORDA AND RITCHIE A. HORARIO REPORTERS

CHIEF Justice Renato Corona did not include at least four properties in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) in 2010 because he already sold these assets, the defense panel said on Monday.

Lawyers of the chief justice yesterday presented as witness Carlo Alcantara, the acting Register of Deed of Quezon City who presented before the impeachment court copies of transfer certificate of titles and other official documents showing that the chief magistrate doesn’t own the properties.

The documents presented include the cancelled TCT No. 85121 for the Ayala Heights property in the name of spouses Renato and Cristina Corona after it was sold to Rodel and Amelia Rivera on February 26, 2010.

Alcantara also presented TCT No. 004-2010010259 to show that the La Vista property of the Coronas was sold to Constantino Castillo 3rd, the son-in-law of the Chief Justice, on Nov. 9, 2010 for P18 million.

Two other assets—one in Cubao and the other in Kalayaan Avenue—were also sold to spouses Constantino and Carla Castillo on Dec. 15, 2003 and March 11, 2009.

Alcantara was also presented by the prosecution panel. Prosecutors claimed that Corona used his daughter and son-in-law as “dummy” owners of the properties.

Also yesterday, defense lawyer Tranquil Salvador presented Mario Badillo of the Makati City Assessor’s Office, to establish that the chief justice accurately entered the information involving his condominium unit at The Columns.

Badillo presented the tax declaration certificate of the condominium unit with a market value of P1,210,00 and an assessed value of P726,000 as of January 11, 2008.

The chief justice stated the same amounts in his 2010 SALN, which according to the defense team disputes the allegation of the prosecution panel that the chief magistrate entered false information on his SALN.

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said that the defense panel would need to prove that the discrepancies in Corona’s SALNs were done “in good faith.”

She also challenged the prosecution to prove its claim that Corona did not disclose or undervalued his assets.

The senator said that based on the old rules and regulations of the Civil Service Commission (CSC), a public official may include in his SALN either the property’s market value, assessed value or acquisition cost.

She explained that when Corona filed his SALN, there were no definite and clear guidelines requiring the declaration of acquisition cost of properties purchased by the government employee or official.

“According to CSC under the old guideline, it is not necessary to fill up all three values. You can just choose,” Santiago said.

It was only last year when the CSC required that the acquisition cost should be declared in the SALN.

The defense panel maintained that Corona filed his SALN properly by putting in the market value and assessed value of his properties.

Santiago said Corona could be liable only for “simple negligence” for omitting some details in his SALNs unless the prosecution could prove that it was intentionally done.

“Intention is an important element involved. An act done in good faith does not qualify as gross misconduct and merely simple negligence,” she said at the start of yesterday’s hearing.

“Prosecution, show that an omission or misdeclaration was deliberately intended. You must show essential element of intent to commit a wrong,” she added.

For the defense, Santiago said it should prove that Corona’s failure to declare his peso and dollar accounts was done in “good faith.”

Senators Joker Arroyo and Pia Cayetano supported Santiago’s challenge saying that this would simplify the proceedings.