Megaworld exec: We received no favors from Corona

(Updated 9:24 p.m.) Megaworld Corporation, the property developer that sold two posh properties to Chief Justice Renato Corona and his family, on Tuesday said it neither solicited nor obtained any favor from Corona or from the Supreme Court despite the gross discount it gave to the impeached chief magistrate in the purchase of a condominium unit in Taguig City.   During the day’s impeachment trial in the Senate, Megaworld senior vice president for marketing and sales Noli Hernandez told senator-judges that Corona even voted against them in at least two cases, which he said cost them millions of pesos.   "We won one (case) but that was before he (Corona) purchased from us and that was only P5 million. After he purchased from us in 2006, we lost a case right after 2007 and then he bought again from us 2008 and then we lost again a case in the Supreme Court in 2009, this is a triple whammy for us," Hernandez said.   In a statement, Megaworld said: "The cases speak for themselves. For the record, we wish to state that in all our business dealings with Chief Justice Corona, the Company has neither solicited nor obtained any favor either from the Chief Justice or from the Court."   Hernandez was answering questions by Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada about the cases concerning Megaworld that were brought to the SC. House prosecutors are accusing Corona, an appointee of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, of amassing ill-gotten wealth while at the Supreme Court. Defense spokesman Mon Esguerra described as "incredulous" insinuations that Corona was given the discount because of the March 31, 2004 ruling that favored Megaworld. "That Megaworld would extend to the Chief Justice the alleged discount in exchange for a favorable ruling five years earlier is incredulous," he said. Discounts   Megaworld sold the Bellagio penthouse and McKinley Hill property to Corona, his wife Christina, and his daughter Charina. Corona was reportedly given a P10-million discount while Charina a P2.3-million discount. A Malacañang official, meanwhile, said Corona's acceptance of the discount could be in violation of the New Code of Judicial Conduct. Megaworld exec: Corona voted against us twice Reading aloud the statement of Megaworld, Hernandez said their first case decided by the SC (Megaworld Properties and Holdings, Inc. vs Hon. Judge Benedicto G. Cobarde, G.R. No. 156200) was penned by Corona in 2004, four years before Corona — then an SC associate justice — purchased the Bellagio unit.   He said the SC Third Division, of which Corona was a member, voted in favor of their company in the decision dated March 31, 2004.  The SC reportedly moved to recover for Megaworld P5,853,793.01 plus interests from the respondents.   In their second case (Megaworld Globus Asia, Inc. vs. Celerica Holdings, Inc., G. R. No. 175391), he said the SC First Division, of which Corona was also member, rendered a minute resolution dated January 17, 2007 against them.     In the decision, he said Megaworld was asked to pay a total of P26 million to the respondent.   Hernandez said Corona concurred with the decision of the SC Second Division against them in Megaworld Globus Asia, Inc. vs Tanseco, G.R. No. 181206 on October 9, 2009, even though Corona and his wife have yet to finish their amortization of the Bellagio unit.   That time, he said Megaworld was directed to pay a total of P21,725,438.02 to the respondent Mila Tanseco.   Sen. Panfilo Lacson, however, clarified that Megaworld only lost in one of the cases because they appealed the decision.   "Dun sa usaping P25.1 million sa ponensya ni Justice Corona, ni-reverse nila ‘yung compromise agreement ng mga partido hindi po ba? Nanalo kayo doon pero gusto pa ninyo habulin yung additional P5 million, natalo naman kayo doon hindi na si Chief Justice Corona ang ponente doon?" he said during the trial.   Hernandez confirmed that Corona was not the ponente and that he was the ponente in the 2004 case where they won.   Hernandez, meanwhile, said that he does not know of any other cases involving Megaworld are pending before the high court. — with Mark D. Merueñas/RSJ/KBK, GMA News