Pedestrian Observer GB

Impeachment Trial of Renato C. Corona

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Politics

corruption

scandals

Philippine Politics

A crown of thorns?

Philippines Chief Justice Renato Corona, last week, sounding arrogant and confrontational before his impeachment trial began, said on television that he was willing to “donate” all his 30 or 40 undeclared properties in question to the government.

With his righteous demeanor, I hope, for his reputation and integrity, the impeachment procedure will find him “not guilty,” which he has repeatedly claimed to be.

The law is clear that a thief who is proven guilty and decides under fire to return his loot to escape justice is still a criminal who deserves nothing but a jail term and disdain from society…and that stolen properties can not be used as a bargaining chip.

The appropriate law would be especially more Solomonic if the one who broke the law was a president or a chief magistrate, because, like all other public officials, both Gloria Arroyo and Corona MUST BE HELD, not to a HIGHER, but to the HIGHEST standard of law and justice. After all, they occupied the highest and most honorable positions in the land and had sworn to uphold our moral code and the constitution, and protect the people and our nation.

A police officer who steals a dollar is worse than a common thief who steals ten. A priest who molests someone commits a graver sin to society compared to a sex offender on the street. A judge who commits any injustice is the antithesis of the law.

Like Arroyo, Chief Justice Corona should be presumed innocent of the charges against him till proven guilty in the court of law. They deserve this right, in spite of the apparent contempt they have for the decent and law-abiding Filipinos and the legal system of the Republic. Corona and Arroyo must have their day in court. The integrity of the whole nation is at stake. The people demand justice. Let’s make sure they get it without special treatment, fairly, and swiftly.

If they are found guilty, all their confirmed ill-gotten wealth/properties must be confiscated, and they must go to jail. The same penalty and legal prescription you and I, ordinary citizens, would get if we had committed the same crime. And NO PARDON either. There must be accountability and equality in the eyes of the law for all of us. The same punishment for the same crime for everyone. No one must be above the law. We must, as a civilized society, have equal justice for all!

Let us be vigilant, watch, and listen to the proceedings of the impeachment with open mind and open heart, with wisdom and compassion. Let our intelligence, mental honesty, and respect for the law and our constitution guide our actions and reactions. Let justice starts with us, we the people, and not prejudge anyone.

We must remember that what are on trial and a stake here are not only Corona and Arroyo and their reputation, but our national morality, integrity, dignity, justice system, and honor as a people and as a nation.

May God bless the Philippines and the Filipinos!

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Philip S. Chua, MD, FACS, FPCS, Cardiac Surgeon Emeritus in Northwest Indiana, USA, trained at the Texas Heart Institute in Houston, is Chairman of Filipino United Network (FUN-USA), Vice Chairman of Filipino American Leadership Council (FALCONadvocacy) and Vice President for Far East of Cardiovascular Hospitals of America, Wichita, Kansas. He is a columnist for five newspapers and one magazine in the United States and five newspapers and one magazine in the Philippines. Author of Lets Stop "Killing" Our Children, A simplified survival guide for parents and society to save our children.

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Renato Corona Cries & Fight

Some 100 mass attendees mostly judiciary employees sang “The Impossible Dream” at a mass sponsored by Renato Corona’s supporters. It was reported that the Corona couple was seen wiping their tears, it was just not clear if the song made them cry or was it how they sang it? Anyway, for whatever its worth the Corona couple truly deserved to be nominated to a best acting award with the Famas except reality shows specifically one about jerks unlike tele-novela is not about acting so scratch that, LOL.

The noose is tightening and the drama intensifies with so much at stake (nah, the stake is not about reputation, hehehe), it is to be expected that praise release errr I meant reports about the players in the impeachment trial will try to outdo each other on who can grab the limelight for the best sound byte material for the 2013 election.

Of course Mr. Corona & family will be the most sought after not because they are the media darling but theirs is the biggest scandal now that makes for good headlines. Love the way he fights as if on cue he acts as if he is the poster boy of judiciary independence and democracy just like his former boss Gloria Arroyo who desperately tries to portray herself as the poster girl of freedom from flight este travel, to quote:

This is not my personal fight, this is the fight of the judiciary and democracy. If this [fight] is only for me, there is a simple solution. But this is not my personal fight. We will make known what is right under our Constitution.

Excuse me but did you not cheat errrr took the seat in the most frowned upon manner called midnight appointment clearly reserved for the uncouth thick skinned whose utter lack of decency and propriety maligns the position in unjustly clinging to it shamelessly?

It just gets better from hereon when Renato Corona utters this below:

Ang problema sa ibang tao, hindi ko na sasabihin kung sino, akala nila magnanakaw ako tulad nila (The problem with my detractors is that they think I'm a thief like them).

Wow that says a lot but when one who believes or was it deludes themselves they can do no wrong it loses its luster and gets to be a bad joke especially when he says this:

Eh di ilabas nila. Kung mailalabas nila iyong properties ko ibibigay ko na lang sa kanila (So disclose it. If they could produce the properties they can have them)…I will sign a deed of donation, Corona told reporters after the 7th day of Novena at the Supreme Court.

Really now, so here it is in the subpoena of the prosecution team detailing 45 properties under his name, the wife Cristina and children:

Property titles and supporting docs

Makati City

1. CCT no. 85716 in the name of Cristina R. Corona married to Renato Corona

Paranaque/Pasay City

2. TCT No. 58643 in the name of spouses Constantino L. Castillo and Rosenda A. Castillo

Marikina City

3. TCT No. N-97119 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
4. TCT No. N-97120 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
5. TCT No. N-97121 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
6. TCT No. N-97122 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
7. TCT No. N-97123 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
8. TCT No. N-97123 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
9. TCT No. N-97125 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
10.TCT No. N-85804 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona

Taguig City

11. CCT No. 5582 in the name of Ma. Cristina R. Corona married to Renato C. Corona
12. CCT No. 164-2010000062 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
13. CCT No. 164-2010000063 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
14. CCT No. 164-2010000064 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
15. CCT No. 164-2010000065 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
16. CCT No. 19497 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
17. CCT No. 19651 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
18. CCT No. 19652 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
19. CCT No. 19653 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
20. CCT No. 8777 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
21. TCT No. 989 in the name of spouses Cristina Corona and Renato Corona
22. TCT No. 2093-P in the name Ma. Cristina R. Corona

Quezon City

23. TCT No. 004-20100000410 in the name of Cristina R. Corona et al.
24. TCT No. RT-77725 (16799) in the name of Vicente Roco, Jr. married to Asuncion Basa
25. TCT No. 85121 in the name of spouses Renato C. Corona and Cristina R. Corona
26. TCT No. 004-20100001387 (from TCT No. 85121) in the name of spouses Rhodel V. Rivera and Amelia Rivera
27. TCT No. 004-2010007780 (from TCT No. 88985) in the name of Erlinda S. Castro
28. TCT No. N-254901 in the name of Cristina R. Corona married to Renato Corona
29. TCT No. 004-2010010259 (fromTCT No. N-254901) in the name of Ma. Carla C. Castillo married to Constantino T. Castillo Jr.
30. TCT No. N-154400 in the name of spouses Angelina T. Castillo and Constantino A. Castillo
31. TCT No. N-239406 in the name of Constantino del Castillo et al.
32. TCT No. N-239398 (from TCT No. 226256, RT-106747) in the name of Constantino del Castillo
33. TCT No. RT-106747 (226256) in the name of National Housing Authority
34. CCT No. N-35812 (from CCT No. N-11168) in the name of spouses Renato C. Corona and Cristina R. Corona
35. CCT No. N-11168 in the name of Burgundy Realty Corporation
36. TCT No. RT-62661 (82917) in the name of Constantino L. Castillo married to Felisa A. Castillo
37. TCT No. N-327732 in the name of Constantino T. Castillo III married to Ma. Carla C. Castillo
38. TCT No. N-125683 Myrla Nelad-Bajar married to Beneroso E. Bajar (sold to Constantino Castillo III)
39. TCT No. N-260027 in the name of Constantino T. Castillo III married to Carla R. Corona
40. TCT No. RT-20758 in the name of Daniel G. Encia married to Domiciana Atrero (sold to Constantino Castillo III)
41. TCT No. RT-3191 (163660) in the name of Renato C. Corona married to Ma. Cristina R. Corona
42. TCT No. RT-3190 (163659) in the name of Eugenia Coronado married to Juan M. Corona
43. TCT No. 84242 in the name of spouses Constantino Castillo Jr. and Angelina T. Castillo
44. TCT No. 84241 in the name of Ismael A. Mathay Jr. et al.
45. TCT No. N-141891 in the name of Renato C. Corona married to Cristina R. Corona

Well, from the looks of it and if the TCT is under Corona and his close relative’s name all the prosecution need to do is determine if they still own the properties and how they acquired or disposed of the properties in case they claim it is not theirs anymore. Amassing 45 properties is quite a feat and one has to be loaded in order to do so. Was that a fringe benefit when one works for high ranking politicians in office legit or otherwise? If it is it appears to be a very lucrative position beating even some CEO’s of multi-national companies.

It makes me wonder if people are really treating Corona seriously when he says whoever find his properties he will gladly sign a deed of donation. Unfortunately it is not as simple as deeding it for donation if the allegations are true, it will be confiscated by the state since it belongs to the people not for him to donate or give away.

Impeachment 01

For a more detailed report read the Corona assets worth P200M by Cynthia D. Balana, Juliet Labog-Javellana of the Philippine Daily Inquirer.Now that alone should be enough to convict Renato Corona but it seems this is just the tip of the iceberg according to the prosecutors, sure don't want Corona to resign now. The impeachment proceedings will definitely be a teachable learning experience for all of us so as not to repeat the same aberration once again.......

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