Is there an Internet "journalism" war over Raissa Robles damning revelations about Corona?

It is good that Raissa Robles, with the help of crowdsourcing, derided by the more senior Ninez Cacho Olivares as "rumor mills", was able to come out with the information that Corona's daughter solely owns a property in the state of California, USA. Chief Justice Corona, now labeled as TJ Corona (??!), firstly asserted that his family 101% does not own any property in the USA. Now he has came out admitting that his daughter, not him and his wife, indeed owns property in the USA. So Corona told a white lie, but a lie nonetheless. It would be 100% true if he has disowned his daughter.

If TJ Corona, was a public official in Europe, Japan or the USA, he would be forced to resign, but unlike these places which put a premium on the integrity of their officials( A german minister resigned over receiving FREE Airline tickets!), the Philippines is cursed of Lakasan(erring lowly govt employees get punished! while alleged crimes of high officials get ignored or even praised).

I came across the blog Danger Signs and I am amazed at the tone of the authors and commenters. There are others but I am presenting a list of articles to provide our own readers with informed opinion.

• RAISSA ROBLES STRENGTHENS CORONA DEFENSE! the gist of the article is that, yes, Corona's daughter work as a physical therapist enabled her to buy real estate property in california and the Philippines!
  
  
• ABS-CBN News positions hearsay ‘report’ from Raissa Robles as top headline, is generally dismissive of Raissa's post as 'hearsay', and non-objective.We can sense that the author did not read Raissa's original blog piece, since the allegations that the CJ owns properties there were not made by Raissa.
  
  
• Raissa Robles shoplifting allegations, this makes the libelous insinuation that raissa and other journalists, Conrado de Quiros, Ted Failon, Rene Saguisag, Willie Esposo, are biased in favour — perhaps even under the payroll — of the ruling Aquino-Cojuangco feudal clan!
  
  But it also blurted out that Raissa is a kleptomaniac and was once caught shoplifting! Interesting, where is the published news item about this? If this is untrue, the blog is resorting to black propaganda.
  

Enough at the moment, we will be back!!

This time Raissa is explicit!: Corona's daughter bought US property in 2008

The explosive information is in abs-cbnnews.com:Corona's daughter bought US property in 2008

Now, the chief justice claimed,as published in the newspapers

Corona: Wed ont own any properties in the US

Raissa now explicitly claims that Corona's daughter, Maria Charina, bought the US property 22 days before buying the McKinley property that his family does not own any real properties in the United States. Raissa, helped by US based fans of her blog, has come out with information that

Excerpt:
Corona's daughter, Maria Charina, bought the US property 22 days before buying the McKinley property.

"The property is very intriguing because it was bought shortly before the McKinley property was bought. That was in 2008. So it was CJ Corona who brought in his family into the picture so I think it is very pertinent, relevant and material that people follow the money trail and that I think makes his dollar bank deposits very relevant to the case," she told Mornings@ANC.

Robles pointed out it is only Maria Charina who is the sole owner of the property after her husband signed a waiver.

"The clearest thing though is that it is only the daughter who owns the property. It is not a conjugal thing. The husband signed a waiver to the property. You wonder why the arrangement was that way. And the property was bought 22 days before the McKinley property was bought. You ask yourself – why would someone take 2 liabilities so close to each other, almost at the same time? Is this a period of recession in the US?" she said.


Raissa might have uncovered the US dollars acccount link! but a nagging question is: If Corona really said his family does not own any property in the US, has he disowned his daughter?

Or, is Corona one of the biggest liars of the Philippines?

And time now for AMLA to force open the information in the dollar accounts of Corona. After all, Corona is NOT a foreigner whose dollar accounts are safe from prying eyes of the world by being protected by a PHilippine Banking law!

Corona couple chickens out on testifying in impeachment court

The latest news from the defense panel is that it sees no need for Corona couple to appear it the impeachment hearing.

See inquirer.net: Defense fears Coronas would be ridiculed if they testify



Excerpt from above:


Citing fears that their clients might be subjected to intense grilling and public ridicule, the defense panel on Friday said it might not call Chief Justice Renato Corona and his wife Cristina to the witness stand, after all.


Defense lawyers Tranquil Salvador III and Rico Paolo Quicho said that Corona and his wife Cristina, who have already been “stripped in public” by the impeachment trial, would rather risk a potential public backlash than be subjected to intense grilling and ridicule at the Senate impeachment court.


The defense’s latest move came amid calls on Friday by leaders of a Jesuit-led religious organization and a Catholic schools’ association for the Chief Justice to open his dollar accounts, take a leave of absence from the Supreme Court and personally testify in the impeachment trial.

Exposed??!! Does Corona have properties in the good old U.S.A.?

Another astounding explosive investigative article from raissarobles.com

The supreme court Chief Justice wont find the summer break peaceful for him. Recent developments has unmasked that a certain
Renato C. Corona has properties in Tampa, Florida and is related to people with same names as his wife and children.


This only shows that private investigators are a lot smarter than the public prosecutors we pay via our hard earned tax money!

Here is the link: Does Renato Corona have a clone living in the US

We are praying that Corona will NOT be pressured too much during the Lente and summer break as to do an Angelo Reyes act. The late Mr. Angelo Reyes still had a sense of honor!

The pressure is indeed piling up on him, courtesy of the crafty methods of his defense panel which opened avenues not only to the opposition but to the general Juan Q Public about his sense of national service and ethics. If the expose' is true, then Corona is cooked! He is supposed to be an honest man, any foreign holdings(assets) should be also in his SALn.

Graduates of Ateneo have a motto to be a man others, and a man for all seasons, Corona follows a special different motto: A man for himself. If he had any active gray matter left, the sensible thing is to resign!

Thanks to Raissa, and also Rappler, the nation will extend gratitude to their selfless service of exposing what kind of man Corona is.

We are waiting for the results of the prosecution promise of digging up records of assets in the home province of Batangas of the Chief Justice.

We hope that the lowly government employee of Davao kicked out of the judiciary for not entering a market stall asset will have a belated justice.

We hope that the Basa-Guidote family will also obtain belated justive from the actuations of their black-sheep family member, the wife of Renato C. Corona.

We hope that COA will be given teeth in exposing irregularities as was done in the Manila City Hall-Cristina Corona transaction.

Disclaimer, added March 25, 2012:


Raissa did NOT claim that Corona owned the properties in the addresses mentioned. She was only interested why the name of Corona appears in documents and wants to discover the trail of relationships connecting CJ Corona to the properties.

The dark things Corona did: Poke a gun at the caretaker of BGEI.

Who says Corona does not know how to bully? Read the shocking post of the good investigative reporting girl who never fails to amaze this blogger and which adds spice to my blog.

Her March 6 post raissarobles.com: Even the dead blame Corona! adds to her list of astounding scoops! In this post by Raissa, we repeat since we respect her, and believe the accident really happened sometime in 1997 was that Corona who was already a POWERFUL figure in Malacanang, poked a gun at Mang Indoy(Pedro Aguilon).

Raissa even posted a photocopy of the affidavit of Mang Indoy, the old caretaker of Basa Guidote Enterprises Building, now gone (since the lot was sold to the City of Manila.

What a bad character is this guy Corona if this is really TRUE. (In my mind this is TRUE!). Write your opinions in the comments if you believe it or not. Corona as a frightening bully really should NOT be Chief Justice!

Let the impeachment court rule to kick him out of the Supreme Court!

Who says Corona does not know how to play a trial by publicity?

philstar: CJ bares term-share offer

Who says Chief Justice Corona does not know how to play a trial by publicity?
Sometime last year, Senator Teofisto “TG” Guingona III and Corona met at the latter's father's house for lunch. In it, the senator proposed to Corona a term sharing scheme with associate Justice Antonio Carpio, a proposal which Corona declined.


ADDED March 9, 2012 10:19AM

Corona: I rebuffed Aquino bid for truth body

Excerpt:

Chief Justice Renato Corona on Thursday said President Benigno Aquino III discussed with him shortly after his inaugural a plan to set up the Philippine Truth Commission, but that he told the latter if he had evidence against wrongdoing this should be pursued by the judiciary in accordance with the law and the Constitution.

There you have it. He does not acknowledge that the president Noy was in the best position to stamp out corruption. Instead, Corona proposes that it should be the judiciary who should be pursuing???! any leads. First of all the judiciary is not a prosecuting organization. It can only hold trials, not initiate investigations or probes into corrution. Score a -10 for Corona on this one. Further the judiciary itself is not so clean when it comes to bribery and corruption (the sentiment of poor people who cannot afford legal services). Corona badly missed on this opportunity!


What is the meaning of this sudden volubility of CJ Corona? and the purpose of divulging publicly to radio stations a supposedly private meeting and that he rebuffed the president about setting up a truth commision? Now, who says CJ Corona does not know how to play the game of trial by publicity, a charge he and his defense panel leveled at the prosecution pan


We would be happy if Corona will appear next week in the impeachment trial. But we remind the prosecution panel to be ready with probing questions for Corona.

We will update this post with more public pronouncements from CJ Corona. We hope he does not act like a cornered rat to be pounced on by a CAT.

Corona is blocking the quest for truth!

If Corona has nothing to hide, then he should have his dollar accounts information open to the public. Just the starting and ending balances should be enough to satisfy the growing din for more upfront transparency from the Chief Justice. He is now blocking the search for Truth!

Were if not for this impeachment trial, we would not have known how rich Corona has become. He trusted that an Supreme Court internal memo created in 1989 would have shielded him. But the hiding of SALN records from the public violates in spirit the Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials. Let us not forget that Corona has exerted efforts via recommendations or being the ponente in some cases of removal from government service lower ranking public servants due to inaccurate SALN filing!


Corona has been forced, by less fortuitous turn of event to face the fact that his SALNs have been divulged in the Senate by a fearful Clerk of Court, exposing him to charges of gross DISHONESTY.

Now what remains for the prosecution panel in tackling Article 2, is the opening of his supersecret dollar accounts. As we understand it, the law was meant for foreigners to invest their dollars in the Philippines not for a native Filipino like Corona to hide his hidden wealth!

In spite of this private and secret dollar hoard,this fact is PROOF enough that by his sheer gross dishonesty by Corona, displayed for all to see in his SALNs, should be SUFFICIENT to declare him guilty of loss of public trust, and hidden wealth.

Simple corrections to the SALNs is closed to Corona for the simple reason the Supreme Court never gave a chance to people convicted of filing false SALNs.

Chief Justice Corona keeps forgetting HE is the ONE being impeached!

chief Justice Corona is once again resorting to slinging mud against his critics, foremost of which is the president, Benigno Aquino III!

This time, he chided the president CJ to Aquino:
Keep off trial, prove mental fitness to lead "

We remembered that these charges were leveled at Pnoy, a nickname the president wants to be called, during the last presidential elections. Of course the majority of people voted for him and this alone should be enough to shut up his mouth about PNoy! He does not, but he does shut up about his dollar and even peso deposits!

Now, the defense panel is busy defending the CJ peso accounts, saying that the the mulitmillion peso accounts which were closed last December belong to his wife's corporation! How come it was under HIS name? Does this not smack of legal prejudice since there is a family legal squabble among the heirs of the Roco-Quidote-Basa families?

He even alleges that the case of the poor government court interpreter:

He said it was wrong for the President to compare him with Davao court interpreter Delsa Flores, who was dismissed by the Supreme Court in 1997 for failing to declare in her SALN her ownership of a stall in a public market.

The Chief Justice explained that the President was again ill advised by his legal team since Flores was dismissed not because of dishonesty in SALN but due to issue of double compensation from the court and the Panabo municipal government.


To which we say wow!!! Here is an extract from In the Know: Lowly court employee sacked over market stall not declared in SALN



The high court referred the matter to the Office of the Court Administrator (OCA) for evaluation, report and recommendation.
The OCA subsequently found Flores guilty of dishonesty and of failure to report her business interest, and recommended her dismissal.

Beyond reproach

The high court agreed with the OCA’s findings and recommendation.
It said Flores’ failure “to disclose her business interest, which she herself admitted, is inexcusable and is a clear violation of Republic Act No. 6713 (Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees).”


Do you read it???! ...failure to disclose her business interest!!

This only means that Corona is a lying Chief Justice.

The Chief Justice is guilty of double speak when he ignores that it was the non-filing of SALN of a stall property which precipitated the court's action. The fact that she was receiving extra compensation was only secondary.

This further adds to the heavy weight on the non moral fitness of Justice Renato Corona to stay as Chief Justice.

Corona is,with an MBA and a former bank officer, using the banking laws to hide his hidden wealth. Now, criminal can follow a corrupt chief justice by transferring their peso accounts to dollars. (it does not pay high interests however), but it does make our country a refuge for dollar salters, and tax evaders, and a bastion for corruption!

Thanks to Corona, our country is again in the international news for such unseemly shameful titles.

Only in the Philippines!

Further reading:

inquirer.net editorial:In due course

Will Chief Justice Corona deny he has a family with a mistress?

We are somewhat perplexed that rumors of the Chief Justice just surfaced lately. The name of the lady is Eva and the Chief Justice was even rumored to have two kids with her.


We challenge the chief Justice to personally publicly deny in strongest terms that the rumors are UNTRUE, and not to depend on clueless SPOKESMEN or the impersonality of texting.




Further reading:

journal.com, feb 16: corona has kids with other woman?

Excerpt:
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Renato Corona has been accused of maintaining an illicit love affair with a woman, with whom he allegedly had children in his hometown Batangas.

But Corona quickly denied the allegation, saying it was just another “black propaganda” by his political enemies.

“That’s not true. It’s a black propaganda,” he replied in a text.


gmanetwork.com, feb. 15: Defense lawyer on Corona's rumored mistress- We believe in his integrity.

The ten-million peso problem: Will Senator-judges allow opening of bank accounts of CJ Corona?

Of course, personal bank accounts are very private and account numbers, transaction records, and even balances should not be made known to anyone else, as they may subject the owner to unnecessary threats or dangers from criminals.

But bank secrecy laws do not normally apply to litigation cases! And we do have a case here. It sounds like a fishing expedition to the defense panel, but take note that CJ Corona won a 1 million peso raffle, and the stunning costs of his real estate investments, should be backed up by bank records.

But this is also a damn it if there is small cash entries/balance and damn it if there is a big cash entries/balance in his accounts.

It the accounts listed are small, then Corona is guilty of graft for accumulating more than what he can afford. If the accounts listed are too large, then Corona is guilty of non-disclosure of assets. Either way he is fried in the oil of his own words:

The fact remains that at the heart of our sovereign mandate is the people’s trust in the courts. The people’s trust, however, is not confined to physical infrastructure. Improving human infrastructure is essential in maintaining integrity which in the final analysis gives us the right to judge. Hence, corruption in the judiciary, whether real or perceived, is particularly insidious and reprehensible.


A corrupt judiciary is totally unacceptable as it severely handicaps the legal and institutional mechanism designed to curb abuses in government. As such we shall continuously cleanse the court’s ranks by strengthening the integrity of the judiciary and raising it to the highest level possible. I believe that a member of the judiciary who is found guilty of dishonesty should not only be dismissed from the service but also disbarred. No ifs, no buts.


The ten-million peso in the title is an allusion to the cost incurred for holding the trial. Hope it is worth it, and the Senate, Congress, and judges/lawyers will learn much from this trial.

Opening statement delivered by Rep Niel Tupas of Iloilo in the Impeachment Court January 16, 2012. As this is a public speech, we feel we do not have to provide attribution.



As public servants, we took an oath to uphold the people’s will at all times. All who hold positions in the government of our Republic are accountable for their actions. For the power of the sovereign Filipino people is a power that is higher than the Executive, the Legislative or even the Judiciary. And therefore, no matter how high and mighty one's position may be, one can never, ever be beyond public accountability.

Today, we lay down before this impeachment tribunal the product of the collective voice of the people. Impeachment of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona for betrayal of public trust, culpable violation of the Constitution, and for graft and corruption is the verdict in the House of Representatives. By issuing such verdict, we took the first step to accomplish our oath as the keepers of the people’s trust.

Let me be clear: We are not here to indict the Supreme Court as an institution, or to do battle with the judicial branch of government. We are here to search for the truth so as to restore the strength and independence of the judiciary. We are here because one man -- Chief Justice Renato Corona -- has bartered away for a pot of porridge the effectiveness, the independence, and the honor of the Supreme Court.

Mr. Senate President, your honors, one very important question before this honorable impeachment tribunal is, by what standards should Renato Corona be judged?

You only have to look at the Supreme Court itself to know the answer. As you climb its steps, you will see two statues. One of these statues is of Cayetano Arellano, the first Chief Justice, a man of absolute integrity, and of the deepest legal wisdom. The other is of Chief Justice Jose Abad Santos, who viewed his oath so sacred, and loved his country so deeply, he preferred to die at the hands of the Japanese rather than betray his country.

The Supreme Court itself, then, views the position of Chief Justice as beyond politics, beyond personal considerations, and always about putting honor and justice ahead of every other consideration. Pagkatao po ang ating pinag-uusapan dito. The Code of Judicial Conduct demands that a judge must be like Caesar’s wife -- someone who must not only be pure but must be beyond suspicion at all times. Therefore, a Justice must be judged according to the highest standards. Against such standards, we then ask: Who is Chief Justice Corona? What kind of a man is he? Ano po ba ang pagkatao ni Renato Corona?

Chief Justice Renato Corona was a loyal servant to former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from the time she became Vice-President in 1998 until she became President in 2001. Such loyalty had numerous rewards for the Chief Justice. Imagine, GMA paid for his back surgery. His wife was given plum positions in the John Hay Management Corporation. He was appointed Associate Justice, and the best reward of all, against all odds, he took a midnight oath as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

Corona’s appointment as Chief Justice also served an immoral purpose: that of shielding GMA from prosecution for her misdeeds during her presidency. The prosecution will show how Chief Justice Corona became the crowning glory of the cast of accomplices of former President Arroyo, and how he protected GMA’s interest in exchange for his position of prestige and power. This is at the heart of Article 1 of the Impeachment Complaint.

This unholy alliance between Chief Justice Corona and GMA, and Corona’s deep indebtedness to the former President culminated in the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) to enable GMA and her husband to leave the country, and escape accountability. This is Article 7, Corona’s biggest favor yet to his benefactor. And in Article 4, we will show how the Chief Justice intervened in the impeachment case against former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez also to protect GMA.

In Articles 3 and 5, we will show the lack of moral fitness of Chief Justice Renato Corona when he committed acts of impropriety involving parties with pending cases in the Supreme Court. His mockery of the disciplinary institutions of the Supreme Court in the plagiarism charge against a Supreme Court Associate Justice will be proven in Article 6. And in Article 8, we will show how he failed to account for the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) and the Special Allowance for the Judiciary (SAJ), funds which are managed by the Chief Justice. Malinaw po: Kung gusto natin ng hustisya, hindi na dapat ipagkatiwala kay Chief Justice Corona ang pinakamataas na pwesto sa hudikatura.

And finally, we come to Article 2 where the prosecution will prove that Chief Justice Renato Corona amassed ill-gotten wealth after he was appointed to the Supreme Court in 2002. To give you an idea of this article, let me present to you some of the prized pieces of the Corona crown jewels:

Spanish Bay Tower, Bonifacio Ridge, acquired October 14, 2005, purchase price Php9,159,940;

McKinley Hill, Fort Bonifacio, Taguig City, acquired October 21, 2008, purchase price Php6,196,575;

Bellagio I Tower, Taguig, acquired December 2009, purchase price of Php14,510,225;

The Columns, Ayala Avenue, Makati City, acquired in 2004;

One Burgundy Plaza – the building where Mrs. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had a penthouse unit while she was Vice-President - acquired in 2003, purchase price Php2,758,000; and

Number 57 Maranao Street, La Vista, acquired in 2003, zonal valuation Php20.4 million, sold to his daughter for Php18 million.

The governing principle of our laws is clear: unexplained discrepancy between an official’s income and his assets, declared or undeclared, is prima facie evidence of ill-gotten wealth, and therefore, is an impeachable crime of graft and corruption.

The process of accountability is always a painful one. But the legislature is tasked by no less than the Constitution, the very expression of the people’s will, to undertake this sacred duty. And if at this instance, this is how we are called upon to be of service to our country, impeach we must. Mr. Senate President, your honors, we submit that Renato Corona, by his misdeeds, is unfit to remain Chief Justice.

In closing, the message of the House, as the representatives of the people, is the same as that given by Oliver Cromwell when he dismissed England's Long Parliament on April 20 of 1653. Before God and country, we say: “It is high time for us to put an end to your sitting in that place, which you have dishonored by your contempt of all virtue, and defiled by your practice of every vice, you are an enemy to good government, as you have sold your country for a mess of pottage, and like Judas Escariot betrayed your God for a few pieces of gold. Depart I say, and let us have done with you. In the name of God, go!”

Thank you and good afternoon.

Corona: Kill me if you want to remove me.

Click on ABS-CBNnews: Corona: Kill me if you want me out of SC!

The impeachment trial is getting to Corona's nerves. The only way to remove him is to kill him, he suggessts in a news item.

This simply shows he has a shallow sense of public service. In a democracy, everyone serving the government is displensable. Corona believes the impeachment trial is NOT the way to remove him from office.
Imagine! from the top magistrate of the land! He is inviting MURDER to make him a hero, thinking his death will stop the attempts to investigate and recover ill-gotten wealth obtained by him (or his family).

By his dramatic emotional statement, Corona is feeling the heat of his stupid decision subjecting himself to an impeachment. As we said in a previous blog, the loss of confidence should be sufficient reason for him to step down.

Let us punish this dramatic actor in CJ Corona. He still wants to cling to the CJ position. Not because of public service concerns, Not because of a noble calling. But because!!:,

He still wants to protect his benefactor and appointer, former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He still wants to enjoy the perks of his office.

He still wants to make a GOOD! name in the Supreme Court history.


Corona has blown his his chance to be the greatest Chief Justice of the Philippines in history. He is fast losing touch with reality. He has gotten a persecution complex already! He cannot admit that a lot of people do not like HIM anymore!Is

Is he inviting his own murder? It would be nice if the one doing that would be blameless. The poor (in judgment) Supreme Court Chief Justice is aksing for it! Of course, that will be evil in the eyes of the Lord!


Click for a timeline of the trial.

Let's admit it. There is loss of confidence on Chief Justice Corona.

Let us admit that the President of the Philippines has lost confidence on the capacity of the embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona. For did not president Aquino lambasted the chief justice in front of him at the First National Criminal Justice Summit hosted by the Department of Justice at the Manila Hotel last December 5, 2011?

Let us admit that the a majority of the House of Representatives, 188 in number, more than the required 1/3 of the House of Representatives initiated the impeachment proceedings last December 12, 2011?

Let us admit that one Senator, Sen. Frank Drilon, an LP party member even listed the number of cases which the Supreme Court flipped flopped or the Chief Justice has shown unhealthy partiality to the former president of the Republic Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?

Let us admit that the World Bank felt being used as a pig bank by the Judiciary for spending on travels one of which is to a conference managed by one Estelito Mendoza who has active cases in the Supreme Court?
[NOTE: Manila Bulletin: World Bank denies JRSP report]. ]

Let us admit that mayors of big cities (League of Mayors) are angry that the SC has flipped and flopped on the status ot towns which many not have reached the required minimum for populationn to be a city or did not reach the minimum of tax collections?

Our institutions have lost confidence on the leadership of Chief Justice Corona over the Supreme Court.

Alas the only way to remove corona by legal means is by impeachment. In Japan, people in power have committed seppuko (hara-kiri) when they feel people have lost their trust and confidence in them.

Let us hope that the prosecution will be strong and presents strong evidence.

Let Corona squirm in his seat in the following days.
Let him file a leave of absence in the Supreme Court. Lets remove him from office, the man is morally unfit!


Click for a timeline of the trial.

Corona defense assertion: Listed Properties have no bearing on the impeachment trial?!

It is worth noting that the defense wants the evidence linking the embattled chief justice to 35 properties. Even assuming that the CJ claimed only 5 listed properties, the very fact already out was that his defense council tried to brush away the damning evidence in the ongoing trial which just started today means that the "evidence" uncovered by the prosecution panel and feed to the adoring news outlets (they have to sell newspapers) may shake the foundations of their defense strategy.

We do not condone illegally gotten weatlth. In fact this shows that the rewards for being a lapdog of the previous president GMA is lucre (filty riches).

No, Corona should be stripped of his Chief Justice title if ever proven that his salary cannot cover the imagined costs in millions of his high-profile properties. His family, wife, daughter, son should be summoned to shed light on the ammassed wealth. Let them suffer the penalty for unexplained (illegally gotten) wealth.


Click for a timeline of the trial.

Timeline of Events in the Corona Impeachment Period.

I have now transformed this to a page for ease of editing and modification. The new url is
Impeachment timeline page

Please click on the above link. The entry below is now history.


I shall work backwards, and update this as the days unfold on the gripping Corona impeachment trial!

General Resources:
1. Benigno Aquino biography

2. Chief Justice Corona biography

3. Supreme Court of the Philippines Official Site

4.Office of the President Official Site

5.Congress of the Philippines official site

6.Senate of the Philippines official site

7. President's speech

8.Wikipedia: Impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona. With additional links.

The dates are the dates of the news sources. The actual events reported may have happened one day before!

jan 14, 2012	Philstar: SC warned vs meddling in trial! Prosecutors may charge Corona for possession of "ill gotten wealth" even if he donate assets found to be undeclared. Corona assets worth P200M Corona replies: This is a hoax! We are a family of no ordinary means!
Jan 13,2012	Coronas gave 16M pesos taguig lot to daughter World Bank questions alleged Supreme Court Loan Misuse! League of Cities back impeachment trial vs Corona House asks Senate: Summon CJ's family
Dec 15, 2011	Chief Justice vows to lead fight vs Aquino ‘dictatorship’ Inquirer.net: Corona declares war on Aquino!
Dec 14, 2011	Corona's speech
Dec 12,2011	A minute-to-minute recording of the momentous political event of the year 2011! GMANetwork.com: How the House impeached Corona in a day
Dec 6, 2011	It started on this day! December 5, 2011. An omen for Chief Justice Corona. High Court says presidential speech disturbing! Inquirer.net: Aquino lambasts Supreme Court in front of Corona

Click for a timeline page of the trial.

The Articles of Impeachment, condensed version

Click for a Full text version .

The Eight articles of Impeachment fo the Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona

1. partiality and subservience in cases involving the Arroyo administration; from the time of his appointment as SC justice to this midnight chief justice apointment up to the present.(Sec 15, Article VII of Constitution).

It is also self-serving for the SC to decide that the midnight prohibition does not apply to the SC but to the executive department and other courts lower than SC!

2. Betrayal of public trust in failure to declare his SALN (Statement of Assets, liabilities, and Net worth; as required under Sec 17,Article X1 of the 1987 Constitution.


The latest news item is the the Prosecution Panel has asked the Senate to summon the Chief Justice and his family (wife and three children and a son-in-law) to shed light on numerous real properties listed in his name, some of which are not declared in his SALN, in violation of the anti-graft and corrupt practices act. See Philstar


3. issuance of flip-flopping DECISIONS IN FINAL AND EXECUTORY CASES;

Respondent violated the principle of the immutability of final judgments (“flip-flopping”) known to have been instigated through personal letters or ex-parte communications addressed to the Respondent:
League of Cities v. COMELEC case involving the creation of 16 new cities,
Navarro v. Ermita which involved the promotion of Dinagat Island from municipality to province,
FASAP v. Philippine Airlines, Inc., et al.

4. Issuance of the “status quo ante” order; against the House of Representatives in the case concerning the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez; blatanly disregarded the principle of separation of powers by issuing a “STATUS QUO ANTE” ORDER AGAINST THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES IN THE CASE CONCERNING THE IMPEACHMENT OF THEN OMBUDSMAN MERCEDITAS NAVARRO-GUTIERREZ.

5.decision in favor of gerrymandering in the cases involving 16 newly-created cities, and the promotion of Dinagat Island into a province;displaying wanton arbitrariness and partiality in consistently disregarding the principle RES JUDICATA and in deciding in favor of gerry-mandering in cases involving the 16 newly-created-cities, and the promotion of Dinagat Island into a province.

6. creating an ethics committee to look into the plagiarism case against SC Justice Mariano del Castillo, which eventually cleared him; arrogating unto himself and to a committee he created the authority and jurisdiction to improperly investigate an alleged erring memeber of the Supereme court for the purpose of exculpating him. Such Authority And Jurisdiction Is Properly Reposed By The Constitution In the House of Representatives via Impeachment (involving Asoociate Justice Mariano del Castillo)

7. granting a TRO Temporary Restraining Order in favor of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband JOSE MIGUEL ARROYO ;
in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of Justice and in distorting the Supereme Court decision
of the effectivity of the TRO in view of the clear failure to comply with the conditions of the of the SC's own TRO!

8. failure and refusal to account for the Judicial Development Fund (JDF) and special allowance for the judiciary collections; commited graft and corruption when he refused to account for the JDF and special allowance for the Juiciacy collections; In particular, the annual audit report of the Supreme Court of the Philippines contained the observation that unremitted funds to the Bureau of Treasury amounted to P5.38 Billion with the Special allowance for Judiciary along with the General Fund, Judiciary Development Fund in the amount of P559.5 Million were misstated resulting from delayed and/or non-preparation of bank reconciliation statements and non-recording /uncorrected reconciling items.

Impeachment Trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona will start on January 16.Abangan!


Click on the following legal terms for more information.

Res Judicata- already judged
Satus Quo Ante Order- the way things were before
TRO - Temporary Restraining Order or injunction.


Click for a timeline of the trial.

The Corona Impeachment: Let him, who is sinless, cast the first stone!

[This article is in need of condensation.]

The following news news item is catching the attention of political bloggers:

Interaksyon.com

This is based on an investigative report of Ms. Malou Mangahas of the (PCIJ) Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism.

In one of the eight articles of impeachment against Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, the 188 members of the House of Representatives who signed the complaint censured him for refusing to disclose his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth or SALN. The Mangahas report asserted that Ombudsman, and most members of the Lower House (representatives) did not also disclose their SALNS, ie. keep them secret.

Some bloggers have taken a moral tone and quotes Jesus christ
He who has no sin should cast the first stone! and have strongly complained that the other Justices should have been impeached too! While we agree with this sentiment, the reality is that it is Corona currently being impeached. The others who did not divulge their SALNs may someday have their time in court.


Transparency applies to all. Let us start with the Chief Justice who's mistake was to attract attention to his obvious glaring partiality to his former patron, the previous president of the Republic Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. Corona was a former Chief of Staff of the madame president! The biggest in stature should set a good example of impartial justice.

The Supreme Court has, by virtue of a memo (which may be unconstitutional!, has made this non-disclosure standard. They Justices are paying for this behavior bordering on being 'untouchables'. If this memo is to be believed, then the Congressmen do NOT have the right to impeach Corona! This make us remember a past corrupt official who said the infamous words: What are WE in power for?"

Still people claims that Equal protection of the law implies it is not only CJ Corona who should not be impeached but also all the other justices including the Aquino appointees.

Reality however bites again that it is beyond the legal and political systems capacity to try ALL for impeachment.
That is impractical, and if we charge everyone in the Supreme Court, it will only paralyze the entire judicial system.

In an ongoing legal trial, the accused cannot give that reply "others are doing it." He has to take account only of his/her actions.
That is UNFORTUNATE, but a fact of life. Life is so UNFAIR!

The House of representatives may be sinful as anyone else, and they casted the first stone already, very quickly, for the past history taught them that SC can issue an SQA (Merciditas Gutierrez ombudsman case) Such opportunity is now out of reach of the SC hands which is a good thing.

So let us wait for the Jan. 16 start of the impeachment proceedings!

SQA- statu quo Ante order.





Click for a timeline of the trial.

Is Senator Franklin Drilon prejudging in the Corona Impeachment trial?

I wonder why Senator Franklin Drilon is issuing his views on the Chief Justice Corona Impeachment trial which will start on January 16, 2012. The reason he is supposed to be quiet is that he is a member of the panel of judges which will try Chief Justice Renato Corona. That might be a slip of judgement on the part of the good Senator of the Republic.

In the past he also explained why CJ Renato Corona is unfit for the Supreme Court by listing some of the decisions showing partiality to the previous President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

He should clam up now! I mean some of his colleagues in the Senate panel already warn of citing in contempt the members of the Prosecution Panel who divulged details of the SALN (statements of Assets and Liabilities and Networth.

Certainly we want to see the real SALN of Corona which is required of every official of the land. If Corona insists that they are just following the memo of a previous Chief Justice on NOT making available for public access the SALNs then I can agree on the point that he has some properties ahich may not have been obtained in an aboveboard or clean manner.

I actually understand Senator Franklin Drilon's position at the moment. He wants Corona to RESIGN IMMEDIATELY. Unfortunately, Chief Justice Corona still has the right to a speedy and fair public trial just as any oridnay Filipino citizen has(in PRINCIPLE)! However, CJ Corona has the image now of digging IN and is busy issuing moves to delay the start of the trial. The whole judiciary now looks poor and captive to the fortunes of the Chief Justice!

Abangan ang start ng Impeachment Trial of the century for any democracy in history! (presidents are usually the ones impeached) Only in the Philippines!

January 16, 2012. Mark this on the calendar. We will see what the Chief Justice is made of. and let us not forget the reason we write thid piece. Tell Senator Franklin Drilon to keep his mouth shut at the moment!

Was Chief Justice Corona caught lying?

A news item just out today quoted Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone that the the camp of Corona “may not be telling the truth” about Corona’s P14.5-million penthouse at the Bellagio Tower in Global City, Taguig.
He Representative said research conducted by investigative journalist Raissa Robles showed that Corona and his wife Ma. Cristina signed a deed of absolute sale on Dec. 16, 2009 covering the 303.5-square meter penthouse. In the document, he said the seller, property developer Megaworld Corp., acknowledges receipt of the purchase price of P14,510,225 “in full.”


This latest expose' from Raissa Robles is that the Supreme Court Justice Renato Corona's claim that he paid for a codnominium property on installment basis got busted by the fact that he actually paid for it on CASH basis.


http://raissarobles.com/2012/01/07/realty-broker-coronas-posh-condo-a-steal-at-p14-million/

This fact should punch a hole on the truthfulness of the seemingly imperturbable Chief Justice. We don not know if this evidence is acceptable in the impeachment trial, but the Right of the Public to Know exceeds the Senate's rule on any gag-order.

The ball now is in the defense panel of CJ Corona. I suggested already in a strongly worded article that he resigns immediately. He might escape more embarrassingly public humiliation if more juicy tidbits come out in the open.

We expect the Chief Justice always to be truthful. if he cannot be even on his financial dealings , he cannot prevent insinuations that his decisions on SC cases may have been arrived in a not so transparent above board manner.!

He should avoid further damange to the prestige of the Supreme Court in particular and the Judiciary in general.

We regret that Ms. Raissa's expose' may not be formal, but a lie is a lie is a lie is a lie, ad infinitum!


Click for a timeline of the trial.



Click for a timeline of the trial.

Flash! The prosecution reply to Corona's Answer to Impeachment complaint

Rappler.com is to be commended for publishing quickly the reply of the prosecutors in the House of Representatives. The link is

Prosecution replies to CJ Corona answer to verified complaint.


The HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, through its PROSECUTORS, in reply to respondent’s Answer [To Verified Complaint For Impeachment] dated 21 December 2011,[1].

We will include shortly the public document contents here!