Corona’s ‘homes’ in U.S. exposed

Chief Justice insists one property
in California owned by a daughter

MANILA – Chief Justice Renato Corona has been tagged as alleged owner of several properties in California and Florida but it turned out he does not own any house, apartment or lot there.
This recalled the accusation by the House of Representatives prosecutors that Corona and wife Cristina owned 45 properties based on a Land Registration Authority listing, which turned out later to be a dud, as the Coronas insist owning only five  properties.
Corona, who is facing an impeachment in the Senate, is insisting that the US properties in Sacramento and Mountain View, California and in Tampa, Florida  reported to belong to him and his wife are not theirs.
Corona, however, admitted that one property belonged to his daughter who is based and working as a physical therapist in the United States.
Corona  said  his two daughters, Maria Charina and Maria Carla, work as physical therapists in the US. The property in Florida linked to him is owned by a family friend, according to Corona.
The House of Representatives prosecution team, however, does not believe Corona’s story and insisted that it will present to the Senate acting as an impeachment court any new evidence it will find, including his alleged properties in US, even if some senators are reluctant to accept additional evidence.
The house panel also said it is now looking into reports that Corona has undeclared properties in his home province of Batangas and in other areas.
Earlier, Senator-judge Aquilino Pimentel III  said the impeachment court would likely decline to accept as evidence the US properties, which Corona has disowned. He also said the prosecution could no longer present information because it has rested its case.
The prosecution announced its decision to rest its case last February 28, the 25th day of the impeachment trial which started January 16.
A blog article last week by one Raisa Robles said a search came up with addresses in Tampa, Florida, and two more in Sacramento and Mountain View in California under the name of Corona.
The Articles of Impeachment accuse Corona of failing to disclose his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and failing to declare all his properties.
The list produced by the LRA, and which the prosecution used for the impeachment trial had 45 properties.
The Corona camp confirmed ownership of only five of the properties.
Defense lawyer Tranquil Salvador III said that since March 12 to 22, “We have debunked the bloated number of properties publicly presented by the prosecution. From allegedly 45 properties, these have been halved per admission by the prosecution, if not dwarfed by the truth that CJ Corona really owns only five properties,” he said.
He said the defense has also established the financial standing of Corona and his wife Cristina.
Salvador said the evidence includes the sale of two lots and the funds of Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc., a company owned by the family of Mrs. Corona, that “so appear to be held in trust.”
“This is about more than P90 million they have with them during the relevant period,” he said.
Another defense lawyer, Karen Jimeno, said a “forensics audit will soon make the financials clearer that will explain for instance the interests earned by the trust funds that will explain significantly the bank deposits.”
Corona insisted  he did not change his statement regarding the property.
“The question to me was whether I or my wife owned any property in the US,” he said. “We do not. What my daughter owns is hers, not mine nor my wife’s. So what story did I supposedly change?”
Corona’s wife Cristina reiterated that their daughter Ma. Charina owns the property.
“If my daughter has property, it’s hers,” she said. “That’s not mine, not ours.”
Corona said the claim of online writer Raissa Robles that his daughter bought the California property less than a month before buying a P6.1-million property in McKinley Hill in 2008 was “another black propaganda.”
“I don’t think she bought it in 2008,” he said, adding that 
 his daughter bought the property on installment.
“She bought it dirt cheap at the height of the mortgage foreclosures in the US – 10 percent down payment with 30 years to pay,” he said.
“Anyway she is earning very well as a PT and is in fact working at two jobs,” he said. “And her husband is also earning well.”