Impeachment prosecutors want Corona and his family to testify on 45 properties

Armed with documents on 45 real estate properties, House of Representatives’ prosecutors in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona asked the Senate to summon not only the magistrate but also his wife and members of his family.   The prosecutors said they want the Senate as the impeachment court to issue subpoenas for the following relatives of Corona:

• his wife Cristina R. Corona,
• daughter Carla Corona-Castillo,
• daughter Charina Corona,
• son Francis Corona, and
• son-in-law Constantino Castillo II.

Reacting to the latest move of the prosecutors, Corona told reporters, "Kung mahanap nila, sa kanila na. I will sign a deed of donation to them…Ang problema sa ibang tao, hindi ko na sasabihin kung sino, akala nila magnanakaw ako tulad nila.”   The House prosecutors said records of the Land Registration Authority (LRA) show that the Coronas own 45 pieces of real estate in the cities of Makati, Parañaque, Marikina, Taguig, and in Quezon City. The lawmakers also asked for copies of the 1991 to 2011 income tax returns of the members of Corona’s family. However, Corona said, "We'll refer that to the lawyers. If it is clearly illegal, we will not obey."   The prosecutors’ request was made after Corona, in a two-page request on Wednesday, asked the Senate to subpoena the following persons for allegedly railroading the impeachment complaint against him:

• House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte,
• chief prosecutor Rep. Niel Tupas Jr.,
• former Deputy Speaker Jesus Crispin Remulla,
• House Secretary General Marilyn Yap,
• Batangas Rep. Herminaldo Mandanas, and
• Navotas Rep. Tobias Tiangco.

 '40 undeclared real properties'   In a separate press briefing on Thursday, Marikina Rep. Romero Quimbo, one of the prosecution team’s spokespersons, said the panel wants Corona and his relatives summoned by the impeachment court to shed light on their alleged 45 properties in Metro Manila.   “Nag-request na po tayo para po makapagsimula na po tayo ng trial, para po ma-identify na po natin 'yung mga dokumento patungkol po sa mga titulo, at patungkol po kung papaano po nila na-acquire itong mga properties na ito,” Quimbo said. Quimbo added that Corona's 2002 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) mentioned less than five properties in the name of the chief justice.   It was not clear how the prosecution team reached the conclusion that all the properties belonged to the Corona family, and Quimbo declined to disclose other details to avoid violating the Senate rule on discussing the merits of the impeachment case. Some of the titles did not mention Corona by name.   Article II of the impeachment case accuses Corona of concealing properties and accumulating ill-gotten wealth. The chief magistrate has denied these allegations, saying he has declared all his assets in his SALN.   Article III of the impeachment case also wants Corona held liable for allowing his wife Cristina to be appointed by former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the board of the John Hay Management Corporation.   However, Corona said the the appointment “did not in any way influence” how he voted in cases involving Mrs. Arroyo because Cristina took the job in 2001, a year before he was appointed to the high court. Property titles and supporting docs