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Prosecution asks Senate to subpoena John Hay execs

KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA News February 6, 2012 11:20am
The prosecution is asking the Senate, sitting as the impeachment court, to subpoena two executives of state-owned John Hay Management Corporation (JHMC) to the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
 
In a four-page request, the House prosecutors asked the Senate to subpoena Atty. Lyssa Pagano Calde of the JHMC and JHMC corporate secretary Marissa Bondoc, both of whom will be asked to testify on the appointment of Corona's wife Cristina to the JHMC.
 
Calde was also asked to bring with her two position papers prepared by the JHMC management dated May 29, 2007 and June 4, 2007, which supposedly chronicles the "serious irregularities" committed by Mrs. Corona while in office.
 
On the other hand, Bondoc was made to bring among others the original and certified true copies of the following:
 
  • JHMC resolution no. 2007-05-38 withdrawing the election of Cristina as JHMC president and chairman and declaring the position of the JHMC chairman vacant
  • resignation letters of Marissa Bondoc, Genando De Leon, Rolando Macasaet, Loreto Pangilinan, retired CA Justice Teodoro Regino, Guillermo Ruize, Gerard Seno, Amado Valdez, and Alberto Villalon from the JHMC board of directors; and
  • letters from former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former executive secretary Eduardo Ermita expressing the former Philippine leader's desire to have Mrs. Corona elected into the JHMC board. 
 
In a separate request, the prosecutors also requested that SC clerk of court Enriqueta Vidal be made to provide the Senate documents that would supposedly prove that there were cases against Mrs. Arroyo pending before the SC when Corona's wife was appointed to the JHMC.  
 
She was also asked to bring with her documents that would prove that the Judicial Bar and Council advised Corona about a conflict of interest relative to the appointment of his wife to the JHMC.
 
Article III of the Articles of Impeachment accuses Corona of culpable violation of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust for his “failure to meet and observe the stringent standards of the Constitution that a member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence in allowing the Supreme Court to act on mere letters filed by a counsel which caused the issuance of flip-flopping decisions in final and executory cases; in creating an excessive entanglement with Mrs. Arroyo through her appointment of his wife to office; and in discussing with litigants regarding cases pending before the Supreme Court."
 
In another request, the prosecutors also reiterated their request for subpoena for the executives of the Philippine Airlines (PAL), who are expected to the testiy on the "special privileges" supposedly granted to Corona while cases concerning PAL were pending before the high tribunal.
 
In another request, the prosecutors also asked the Senate to summon back Bureau of Internal Revenue Commissioner Kim Jacino-Henares to testify and bring her the income tax returns of Basa-Guidote Enterprises from 2000 to 2010.
 
Basa-Guidote had supposedly loaned Corona P11 million even after its license had been revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission.
 
Henares had alreadly earlier testified on the alleged inability of Corona's daughters to purchase several pricey properties. — RSJ, GMA News