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Day 4: Highlights of Corona impeachment trial at the Senate


Call to order  
  • Thursday’s trial began at 2:03 pm
  • Senator-judges Teofisto Guingona III, Loren Legarda, and Miriam Defensor-Santiago were absent.
  Taguig Register of Deeds produces Corona condo title  
  • The prosecution panel presented as its third witness Taguig-Pateros Register of Deeds Randy Rutaquio. House prosecutor Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. conducted the direct examination.
  • Barzaga said subpoenas were sent for certificates of title to 12 real estate properties in Taguig purportedly owned by Corona and his wife, Ma. Cristina, and that the prosecution would present six of the titles.
  • Rutaquio produced the certificate of title to a 330-square meter condominium unit with three parking lots in The Bellagio in Taguig, valued at P14.6 million, under the name of Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife Cristina.
  • Rutaquio also produced the deed of sale on a property sold by Megaworld Corp. to Corona which was subsequently sold to the magistrate’s daughter, Ma. Charina Corona. In response to questions from Senator-judge Franklin Drilon, Rutaquio said the name of the chief justice appeared as the attorney-in-fact of his daughter. Enrile asked if the property no longer belonged to CJ Corona because it was transferred to his daughter Charina, and Rutaquio said yes.
  Defense blocks presentation of evidence on Corona property  
  • Upon cross-examination by defense counsel Serafin Cuevas, Rutaquio admitted that he was not present when the certificates of title and deeds of sale were processed. However, he was quick to add that the documents would not have reached him unless these had passed through the normal registration process of the Registry of Deeds of Taguig.  
  • Cuevas said the allegation that Corona amassed ill-gotten wealth while in the Supreme Court was based merely on suspicions, and that the presentation of evidence on the properties of Corona and his relatives violates the chief justice’s right to due process.
  • The Presiding Officer ruled that the presentation of evidence on Corona’s properties was “proper” since these assets pertain to Corona’s SALNs, which are the subject of Article II.
  Confusion regarding Article II   
  • Senator-judge Alan Peter Cayetano noted that Article II of the Articles of Impeachment accuses Corona of three things: that he failed to file his SALNs, that he did not include all his assets in his SALNs, and that he amassed ill-gotten wealth.
  • Cayetano asked Barzaga how the House prosecutors came up with the charges when they had not yet seen the SALNs. Barzaga said the charges were “based on reports.”
  • Senator-judge Francis Escudero asked House lead prosecutor Niel Tupas Jr. about the authorship of the Articles of Impeachment, pointing out that Article II accused Corona of not one but three separate acts. Tupas said he and several legislators wrote the Articles of Impeachment.
  • Escudero expressed confusion and said each article of impeachment must accuse Corona of a singular act. He asked both the prosecution and defense panels to submit their legal memoranda to clarify what are the charges under Article II. Both panels said they would comply with the request.
  Speeding up the proceedings  
  • Tupas manifested that the lead counsel was not only objecting to the evidence but also lecturing to the prosecution and raising technicalities, which he said was a waste of time. However, Presiding Officer Enrile said he has made a ruling to allow arguments so that the impeachment court will not be accused of railroading the proceedings, and also for the sake of the public.
  • Enrile suggested that the prosecution meet with the witnesses and pre-mark the documents before the hearing to speed up the process, and also to mark evidence for the entire document to avoid confusion over too many markings.
  BIR chief fails to bring records  
  • Presiding officer Enrile allows Henares to be excused and ordered her to return on Tuesday. He also reminded the BIR that the release of ITRs requires the approval of the President.
QC property sold to Corona’s daughter  
  • The House prosecution panel presented as its fourth witness Acting Quezon City Register of Deeds Carlo Alcantara.
  • During direct examination by private prosecutor Jose Justiniano, Alcantara said Corona’s wife, Cristina, sold the Burgundy property to their daughter, Carla Corona-Castillo. Alcantara affirmed that the sale price was accepted by Carla’s attorney-in-fact, her father Chief Justice Corona. (In sales transactions, the attorney-in-fact acts as the agent representing either the buyer or the seller.)
  • The defense panel described the titles that are not in CJ Corona’s name as “immaterial and impertinent” to the impeachment trial.
  • Defense counsel Cuevas asked for time to go through all the certificates of titles and deeds of sale produced that day. He said they would continue with the cross-examination of Alcantara next week. 
Marikina properties  
  • The prosecution presented Marikina Register of Deeds Sedfrey Garcia to testify on the titles in the name of Corona and his wife Cristina. He was asked to return on Tuesday to continue his testimony.
  • Eleven more witnesses were supposed to have been presented. Enrile directed the witnesses to come back at 8 a.m. Tuesday to give more time for the marking of documents.
  Adjournment  
  • Thursday’s session adjourned at 6:03 pm.
  •  The impeachment trial will resume at 2 p.m. Tuesday, January 24.
- Marlon Anthony R. Tonson with reports from Kimberly Jane Tan and Andreo Calonzo/YA, GMA News We also recommend:
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