Corona admits daughter bought US property, decries 'black prop'

Embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona admitted his US-based daughter indeed bought a house in Roseville, California, at the height of mortgage foreclosures in 2008, claiming she spent her hard-earned money as a physical therapist to pay for the 10-percent down payment over a 30-year amortization. He had previously denied that his family owned any property in the United States. Corona, who is facing an impeachment trial before the Senate, was reacting to a blog post by journalist Raissa Robles,and denounced it as black propaganda. Robles wrote that Corona's daughter Charina bought a property in the United States in September 2008, 22 days before she bought a posh condominium unit in Taguig City's The Fort. Robles said Charina took out a $245,000 loan to pay for the house in Roseville, California, which had a tag price of $269,500 (about P11.5 million at P43=$1). In a text message to reporters, Corona on Monday confirmed the transaction, saying the property was bought “dirt-cheap.” He labelled the blog as black propaganda. "Another black prop. She (Charina) bought it dirt-cheap at the height of the mortgage foreclosures in the US—10% down payment with 30 years to pay,” said the chief justice. Charina, a physical therapist, “is earning very well… and is in fact working at two jobs. And her husband is also earning well,” the chief justice noted.   According to Robles, Charina purchased the house in Roseville 22 days before she bought  in October 2008 a condominium unit in McKinley Hill at The Fort in Taguig City.   Robles cast doubts on Charina’s financial capability to buy a property in the US and a posh condominium unit in the Philippines within a span of 22 days.   “It therefore becomes a legitimate question to raise in the impeachment trial whether she could afford to have paid for both almost at the same time. And why she was buying a condo unit in The Fort when she had just invested in a home in California, payable for the next 26 years and paid a down payment of US$24,356 (P1 million) on it,” Robles wrote. During Corona’s impeachment trial at the Senate, Charina was identified as the buyer of the  unit in McKinley Hill for P6.19 million. Although the payment receipts were made out to Corona, his lawyers insisted the chief magistrate merely acted “in trust” for his daughter.   Widely associated with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, Corona is being accused of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution. The prosecution is questioning why the McKinley Hill property was not included in Corona's statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. —KBK/VS/HS, GMA News