Witness: Corona, wife merely trustees for McKinley property

The defense panel on Tuesday presented a Quezon City court employee to prove that impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife Cristina were merely trustees of their daughter for the latter's Taguig City property.   In her testimony, defense witness Perlita Ele, executive clerk of court of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court and ex-officio sheriff, presented a certified true copy of a notarial register showing a declaration of trust and special power of attorney (SPA) given to the Corona couple by their daughter Maria Charina Corona, who is in the United States.   The defense presented Ele to show that the McKinley property in Taguig City was under the name of Charina and that her father only made payments in trust for her.   The McKinley property was purchased by the Coronas in October 2008 for P6.19 million, but the prosecution is questioning why it is not included in the chief magistrate's Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). Corona is currently being tried at the Senate for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of Constitution for alleged inaccuracies in his SALN.   During cross examination, Ele insisted that the notary public who notarized the declaration of trust and special power of attorney was commissioned.   Ele is the third witness to presented for the day, following the testimonies of Ayala Lands' The Columns property manager Benz Lim and Alveo Land customer relations head Carmina Cruz. — Mark D. Merueñas/KBK, GMA News