Prosecutors: We didn't say Corona has 45 properties
Senate to prosecution: Show us proof of impeachable offense
MANILA, Philippines - The House prosecution panel on Thursday denied saying that Chief Justice Renato Corona has 45 real estate properties.
During questioning, Senator-judge Francis Escudero said he has counted so far 18 properties, excluding the 6 parking lots the prosecution said were not properly disclosed in the statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth.
“You announced to the media, there are 45 properties,” he asked lead House prosecutor Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr.
"We just want to put on record that the 45 did not come from the prosecution. It was a letter..." Tupas replied before being cut off due to loud groans from spectators inside the Senate.
Tupas said the 45 properties were listed by the Land Registration Authority, which was attached in their complaint. He said the prosecution will be presenting titles to 24 properties instead of 45 since the other real estate titles were canceled or sold.
Senator-judge Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada Jr. asked the prosecution: “So who released this [information] to the media?”
"We did not release it to the media. We filed it with the impeachment tribunal," Tupas replied.
Estrada then noted: "So nung lumalabas kayo sa diyaryo, pinalalabas niyo na maraming ari-arian si Chief Justice Corona when in fact 21 lang."
Tupas replied: "Marami din po ang 24, o 21."
Senator-judges also ordered the prosecution to show proof if its accusations are impeachable offenses.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile asked if the omission of properties in the SALN can be considered a “high-crime”, which is an impeachable offense.
Senator Joker Arroyo said United States President Bill Clinton had been impeached, but senators overturned the action because the accusations lodged against him are not impeachable offenses.
Omission in SALN
The issue arose after senator-judge Ralph Recto asked one of the registers of deeds the meaning of the different items in the SALN.
He asked if the fair market value, zonal valuation and deeds of sale should all be disclosed in the SALN. The fair market value is the price by which 2 parties decide on; zonal value is fixed by the Bureau of Internal Revenue for purposes of taxation. The price in the deed of sale, meanwhile, follows closely the zonal valuation.
All parties agreed that all these data should be included in the SALN.
Recto also noted there is room for corrective measures. A person who has omitted unintentionally some details may correct his or her SALN. If found it was unintentional on his part, he is not liable under the laws.
Prosecutor Elpidio Barzaga said omission, or leaving some items blank in the SALN, is under the crime of perjury.
Enrile then posed the question: “If it is a crime, is it a high crime?” He said culpable violation of the Constitution, treason, betrayal of public trust are the basis of impeaching an official.
Arroyo added, “What we’re overlooking here, we should check if offenses have reached level of impeachable offenses.”
Escudero agreed, saying: “Assuming he’s seen on television jaywalking, is it already an impeachable offense? Pag nakita syang nagbigay ng lagay para mapabilis ang kaso, is it already an impeachable offense.”
He noted that in the United States, there is a “range” by which an offense is counted.
Enrile ordered the 2 parties to submit a legal memorandum on the issue.
Integrity of Rep Tupas Jr. ??????
I was listening that time to the radio when I heard that!! "We just want to put on record that the 45 did not come from the prosecution. It was a letter..." Tupas replied.
I witnessed Mr. Tupas Jr. lies in front of the public and making a reasons like a child, Tupas replied: "Marami din po ang 24, o 21."
Mr. Tupas should be ashamed to himself and I think he should resign as lead prosecutor for the best of his team.
Don Quixote of Modern Times
This quest of the prosecutors, is somehow similar to the old novel Don Quixote, who attacked windmills that he believes to be a ferocious giants. His tendency to intervene violently in matters which do not concern him, result in many privations, injuries, and humiliations.
The only difference is that, in our real world today, Don Quixote is now wearing coat and tie instead of armor, riding on the budget of pork barrel instead of a horse, using articles of impeachment as his weapon to attack and kill the "giant". And most specially, Don Quixote is now hiding under the name of Cong. Tupas.
How pathetic. :-)
Don Quixote of Modern Times
This quest of the prosecutors, is somehow similar to the old novel Don Quixote, who attacked windmills that he believes to be a ferocious giants. His tendency to intervene violently in matters which do not concern him, result in many privations, injuries, and humiliations.
The only difference is that, in our real world today, Don Quixote is now wearing coat and tie instead of armor, riding on the budget of pork barrel instead of a horse, using articles of impeachment as his weapon to attack and kill the "giant". And most specially, Don Quixote is now hiding under the name of Cong. Tupas.
How pathetic. :-)
PROSEC DI BOBO, SUNOD UTOS NI PINOY
At the start of impeachment WINNIE MONSOD invited the people to attend daily the impeachment, now they lost apetite PNOYtards were expecting PROSEC will deflect hard blow to CORONA. Now, napahiya cla, puro kantiyaw inabot and to those people umaasa pagbabago as PNOY slogan WALANG MAHIRAP KUNG WALANG KURAP marami nagising sa katotohanan inuuto lang pala ni PNOY.
PROSEC NANGLAMABAT ILOG PASIG-WALANG HULI
Now it only shows that the PROSECUTORS were only following orders from COANGCO-AQUINO Family,, to go after CORONA at all cost to be paid (2009 land value) as what they are now seeking SC-Appeal with 10 Billion compensation of HACIENDA LUISITA (It only shows the reality how GREEDY ARE THE COAJANGCO-AQUINO FAMILY, MOST GREEDY family in Philippine NAKAKASUSUKA KYO.)
Tupas Lied Big Time
The prosecution did not release the list of 45 properties, said Tupas. That's a total lie and complete BS(bulls#!t). Everyone knows the prosecution did release that list/info to the media to get the public to believe the lies. Tupas further added that the list came from the LRA. Ok, let's agree that the list came from the LRA but I'm sure the LRA prepared the list at the request of the prosecutors. Most government agencies in the Philippines like the LRA are not that pro-active that they would take it upon themselves to research such information and release it without anyone asking for it or someone higher up directing them to do so. If Corona betrayed the public trust, the prosecution team led by Tupas is also guilty of betraying the public trust by lying to the Senate and the Filipino people.
The prosecution are lying
The prosecution are lying through their teeth denying that they intimated that Corona had 45 properties. They were celebrating that the press picked up and headlined the alleged 45 properties - if the prosecution were really honest about the whole matter, they could have told the press early on that the 45 properties is incorrect. These prosecutors are a bunch of liars who will say and do anything to achieve their objective of ousting Corona.
Journal.com.ph Jan 13 2012
House prosecutors slam Corona, kin regarding 45 properties
Published : Friday, January 13, 2012 00:00 Article Views : 413
THE 11-man House prosecution panel yesterday asked the Senate Impeachment Court to subpoena Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona, his five relatives and documents pertaining to 45 properties allegedly registered under their names on January 16.
In a press conference, Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara and Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo “Erin” Tañada III, spokespersons for the prosecution, said the prosecution sought for the issuance of subpoenae ad testificandum to compel the appearance of Corona, his wife Cristina, daughters Charina and Carla Corona-Castillo, his son Francis Corona and his son-in-law Constantino Castillo III on Monday.
The prosecution also asked for the issuance of subpoena duces tecum to produce the documents pertaining to their alleged 45 properties consist of condominiums, house and lots and lots in Makati City, one; Parañaque and Pasay Cities, one; Marikina City, eight; Taguig City, 12; Quezon City, 23.
“At least 40 of these properties were not declared in Chief Justice Corona’s 2002 SALN, the last year when he made such declaration,” Quimbo told reporters.
Angara said “we want these people be called and bring with them the documents for the 45 properties registered under the names of Chief Justice Corona and members of his family.”
Tañada said “most of these properties were acquired during his stint as justice of the Supreme Court.”
The spokespersons also said the prosecution is now working to identify the bank records of Corona, adding that Bank Secrecy Law guarantees the right of the Senate Impeachment Court to inquire on these records. Ryan Ponce Pacpaco
Inquirer January 13, 2012
45 Corona assets eyed
‘If you can find them, you can have them’
By Christian V. Esguerra, Cynthia D. Balana, Jerome Aning
Philippine Daily Inquirer 12:15 am | Friday, January 13th, 2012
Chief Justice Renato Corona
Lawmakers seeking to oust Chief Justice Renato Corona want his entire household to appear at the opening of his impeachment trial on Monday and explain their alleged illegal acquisition of 45 properties.
Prosecutors from the House of Representatives on Thursday asked the Senate to issue subpoenas for Corona, his wife Cristina, their children Carla, Francis and Charina, and son-in-law Constantino Castillo III.
“If they can find it, it’s theirs,” Corona said after a Mass at the Supreme Court. “I’ll execute a deed of donation. If they can show my properties, I’ll just give it to them. The problem with some people—I won’t say who—they think that I am a thief like them.”
Representative Niel Tupas Jr. and his fellow prosecutors filed the request for summons a day after Corona’s camp asked senators to require Tupas and four other congressmen, including Speaker Feliciano Belmonte, to appear during the trial.
Corona’s legal defense team wants to question Tupas and company on the hasty approval of the impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice, even if a number of House members had admitted they had not read the voluminous document but signed it anyway during a five-hour caucus last month.
The Chief Justice is facing charges of culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust and graft and corruption outlined in eight articles of impeachment.
In the five-page request, Tupas’ group also asked the Senate to require Corona and his family to produce a variety of documents pertaining to 45 properties purportedly under their names.
Properties in 4 cities
The properties are located in the cities of Makati, Parañaque, Marikina and Taguig, according to a two-page letter from Land Registration Authority Administrator Eulalio Diaz III, which was attached to the House panel’s request.
The Diaz letter was dated January 10 and was addressed to Tupas. It was sent “pursuant to (Tupas’) request for information relative to real estate properties registered in the name of Renato Corona et al.”
Tupas and his team wanted the Coronas to produce documents such as transfer certificates of title (TCTs), condominium certificates of title (CCTs), deeds of absolute sale, deeds of conditional sale, deeds of donation, deeds of assignment or transfer, and contracts of lease.
The prosecutors also sought purchase receipts or checks, certificates authorizing registration, and tax declarations of real property.
Tupas also urged the Senate to require the submission of income tax returns of Corona and his family from 1991 to 2011.
The Diaz letter mentioned 10 CCTs in the name of Corona and his wife, plus TCT No. 989 and TCT No. 2093-P.
Tupas and his fellow prosecutors earlier held a press conference announcing that Corona owned a 300-square-meter penthouse unit at The Fort in Taguig.
They had since been castigated by a number of senators for releasing evidence in media before the actual impeachment trial could begin.
HOT SEAT Cool green is the color of the witness chair at the impeachment hearing area of the Senate session hall. LYN RILLON
Corona later asked senators to impose sanctions on the prosecutors. He noted he had already admitted owning the property in his official reply to the impeachment complaint.
45 properties
Of the 45 purported Corona properties, eight are supposedly located in Marikina while 23 are in Quezon City.
Three of them, however, were not in Coronas’ name. Property No. 33 was listed in the name of the National Housing Authority, No. 35 in the name of Burgundy Realty Corp. and No. 44 in the name of Ismael A. Mathay Jr. et. al.
Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo explained that the three properties could be traced back to Corona.
Quimbo said Corona’s latest statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN) in 2002 showed only five properties, a net worth of P13.9 million and P1-million liability.
He said Corona should explain how he was able to secure 40 more properties given his and his wife’s income in the government, noting that most properties were listed in the names of the Coronas when he was already Chief Justice.
Quimbo said the panel still had to investigate Corona’s possible properties abroad as well as bank accounts.
Philstar Jan 16, 2012
House prosecutors to bring up 45 Corona properties at trial
By Dennis Carcamo (philstar.com) Updated January 16, 2012 02:09 PM Comments (2)
MANILA, Philippines – The House prosecution panel is expected to fire the opening salvo during the opening the impeachment trial with the alleged ill-gotten properties of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, spokespersons said.
Quezon Rep. Erin Tanada said prosecutors are set to bring the issue of the 45 properties allegedly acquired by Corona when he was appointed as Associate Justice of the SC in 2002.
"Once it was proven that his properties were ill-gotten, it is his burden to prove it wrong in it the Senate," Tanada told a press briefing, adding it would be vital for Corona to appear and submit himself before the impeachment proceedings.
During the same press briefing, Aurora Rep. Sonny Angara also called on Corona to file a leave of absence while facing an impeachment case to avoid using the High Court's resources in planning his defense.
"Nagagamit ang office ng Supreme Court sa pagmemeeting para sa depensa ni CJ Corona sa kanyang trial," he said.
House prosecutors have estimated the impeachment will last for a month. – with Jlyne Ubina