Call to order The trial resumed at 2:01 p.m. Monday. Senator-judges Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Sergio Osmeña were absent. Trillanes likens impeachment to PMA ‘honor’ trial
Senator-judge Antonio Trillanes IV compared the impeachment trial at the Senate to Honor Committee trials at his alma mater, the Philippine Military Academy, where only the unanimous decision by an eight-man jury can convict an accused cadet, not technicalities or lawyers. He said will apply a “basic sense of justice” in determining the moral fitness of the impeached chief justice who must “possess the highest possible moral standards for public officials.” Trillanes said the presentation of evidence even before
Chief Justice Renato Corona
was appointed as head of the Supreme Court should be allowed. Protecting constitutional rights of Corona, family members The Senate Secretary, as the clerk of court of the impeachment court, read the Senate resolution disallowing developers from presenting evidence that are not related to Corona and members of his family, so as not to violate their right to privacy and not subject them to unreasonable search and seizure. She also read the impeachment court’s decision to disallow the introduction of evidence on Article 2.4 on ill-gotten wealth. Instead, the court will rely on legal presumptions on the properties of the respondent. New order of presentation and list of witnesses Presiding officer
Juan Ponce Enrile allowed the request of lead House prosecutor Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. to tackle Article III – which accuses Corona of lack of integrity, independence and competence – before Articles I and VII, as the prosecution had earlier stipulated. The prosecution team said the articles of impeachment against Corona will be presented in this order: Article II (nondisclosure of Corona’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth), Article III (Corona’s alleged lack of integrity, independence and competence), Article I (partiality and subservience to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, who appointed Corona as chief justice) Article VII (supposed irregularities in the granting temporary restraining order to Mrs. Arroyo last November). Article VIII (failure and refusal to account for the Judiciary Development Fund and Special Allowance for the Judiciary), Article IV (disregard of the principle of separation of powers by issuing a status quo ante order against the House of Representatives during the impeachment proceedings against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez), Article V (deciding in favor of gerry-mandering in the cases involving 16 newly-created cities and the promotion of Dinagat Island into a province), and Article VI (creation of an ethics committee to probe the plagiarism case of Associate Justice Mariano Del Castillo).
Senator-judge Vicente Sotto III read a letter from Senator-judge Miriam Defensor Santiago requesting both the prosecution and defense teams to provide a list of primary and corroborating witnesses during the trial, as a prelude to cutting down the number to a manageable level.
Senator-judge Ramon Bong Revilla Jr. also expressed concern about the list of 100 witnesses submitted by the prosecution. Tupas clarified that the prosecution will not present all 100 witnesses. To avoid lengthy presentations of evidence, the presiding officer directed both panels to stipulate elements of the case that do not need further authentication or proof. Corona gets 40% discount from Megaworld Megaworld Corp. finance director Giovanni Ng was called to the witness stand. Private Prosecutor Joseph Joemer Perez, who conducted the direct examination, said Ng’s testimony would focus on The Bellagio condominium penthouse of Corona and his wife, and the McKinley Hills transaction with their daughter that the impeached chief justice failed to disclose in his 2009 statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN). Ng produced the contract to sell Unit 38-B with 3 parking slots, which was sold for P14 million by Megaworld to the Corona couple, and official receipts of the transaction. He also
produced the deed of absolute sale of the McKinley Hill property of Charina Corona, represented by her attorney-in-fact, Renato Corona, her father.
Asked about the price of the Bellagio penthouse unit, Ng said he was not qualified to answer the question because pricing was the function of the marketing department. Prosecutor Perez requested the impeachment court to subpoena Megaworld Corp.’s senior vice president for marketing. When asked by Senator-judge Aquilino Pimentel III why the prosecution was focusing on the prices of the real estate, Perez said Ng had informed the prosecution that the Coronas received a 40 percent discount – amounting to P10 million – on their purchases. Perez said receiving discounts falls under Article II. In response to a query from Senator-judge Jinggoy Estrada, Ng explained that Megaworld Corp. usually gives 15-percent discounts to unit buyers if they pay on shorter terms. He added that Corona was given a bigger discount because the Bellagio unit he bought needed repairs. Answering another question from Senator-judge Franklin Drilon, Ng said Megaworld gave Corona’s daughter, Charina, a P2.3-million discount on the purchase of a P6.2-million McKinley Hill property in Taguig City which her parents paid for. Ng said Charina's name did not appear in any of the receipts, and “a single hand-written letter” from the Chief Justice requested that the property be named under his daughter. Corona paid in cash for P9.1-M Bonifacio Ridge condominium Private prosecutor Jose Antonio Hernandez conducted the direct examination of real estate developer Aniceto Visnar Jr., formerly of the Fort Bonifacio Development Corporation. Bisnar confirmed the sale of a P9.1-million condominium unit on the 19th floor of the Spanish Bay Tower in Bonifacio Ridge in Taguig City to the Corona couple, which was fully paid in cash on October 14, 2005. The prosecution noted that the Spanish Bay unit supports the claim that Corona failed to properly disclose his properties in his SALN, as alleged in Article II. In his 2010 SALN, Corona declared that he purchased a condominium unit in 2004 in Taguig City worth P2.3 million. During cross-examination, defense counsel Ramon Esguerra pointed out the absence of any notice of acceptance of the purchased unit by Cristina Corona. He also noted Bisnar's unfamiliarity with the Spanish Bay Tower unit, and said Bisnar would not know whether the money used by Cristina to pay for the unit had been sourced from a loan.
Adjournment Monday's sessions was adjourned at 5:55 pm. The trial will resume at 2 p.m. Tuesday, 31 January.— Marlon Anthony R. Tonson/VS/YA, GMA News
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