More skeletons in Corona’s closet

“Why are you coming out with these allegations only now?” the defense lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona are asking, after Ana Basa, daughter of one of the original stockholders of Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI), narrated in detail in a two-part interview with the Inquirer how her family was “oppressed by the Coronas.”

The simple answer to the “Why only now?” question is that it’s human instinct to seek self-preservation. Fear of death is a natural human instinct. You don’t want to feel the business end of a pistol pressed against your forehead. And given the circumstances under which the Basa family found themselves after an internal squabble tore the BGEI apart—as narrated by Basa, with Corona himself pointing a gun at the head of the caretaker of a BGEI-owned property when he was already a Malacañang official in 1997—you take threats to your security seriously. (The caretaker, Pedro Aguilon, is now dead but he executed an affidavit on Oct. 15, 1997 when he was 83 years old.)

Basa herself said: “Nanahimik na nga kami, eh.” (We have, in fact, been keeping quiet.) We wanted to put this behind us. But when we learned that Corona was using BGEI as a cover-up for his unexplained wealth, we had to come forward to set the record straight. We cannot stand being used as his excuse after everything he has done to our family.”

In one of his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) submitted to the impeachment court, Corona claimed that he obtained an P11-million loan from BGEI. But how could Corona have obtained a loan from BGEI when the company established in 1961 had been dormant the past decade after the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) revoked its certificate of registration for repeated failure to submit financial reports?

There are other pertinent questions that should be asked. What was the purported loan for? Did it go through the proper procedure? Was there a meeting of the BGEI Board of Directors to approve the loan? What documents can Corona show that indeed he obtained a loan from BGEI and that BGEI approved his loan application? How was Corona able to obtain a loan from BGEI when he claims he never took an active part in BGEI’s corporate affairs? Did Cristina, his wife, as administrator approve the loan by her lonesome?

Corona’s defense lawyers are now claiming that the P31 million in three different PSBank time deposits that were suspiciously withdrawn on Dec. 12, 2011—the same day that Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives—came from BGEI.

But why would BGEI funds be deposited in Renato Corona’s name? If these funds were conjugal property and held in a joint account, why did Corona need to authorize his wife Cristina to withdraw the amount, as Cristina could have done so herself without securing her husband’s authorization?

Even if Cristina were the duly authorized administrator of BGEI, the P34 million from the sale of BGEI’s Bustillos property should have been deposited in a BGEI corporate account, not in her own, or Renato’s, personal accounts. Basa’s apprehensions as to where BGEI funds have gone are therefore not without basis.

The argument of Corona’s lawyers that the P36 million in his bank deposits is not ill-gotten and does not belong to Corona is beside the point and is a twisting of facts.

But how could they deny the clear facts?

One, P36 million was found in Corona’s bank accounts. Two, he did not declare this amount in his SALNs. And three, he suspiciously withdrew this huge amount on the day that he was impeached. It is obvious that Corona’s lawyers are getting more desperate in trying to find ways to extricate him from the mess of his own making.

When cornered, squirt more black ink on your adversaries. That’s standard squid tactics that Corona learned well, now that the tables are turned and he’s the one on the dock instead of behind the judge’s podium. And painting his opponents in black is what Corona has been doing since he was impeached in December last year by the House.

Corona has branded Basa’s revelations as “all lies.” That’s easy to say. But does he deny that he once pointed a gun at the head of a caretaker way back in 1997 and said “Baka gusto mo pasabugin ko ang ulo mo”? The 67-year-old caretaker died not long after the incident, but not before executing an affidavit saying that it was indeed Renato Corona who pointed a gun at him.

This is the man who wants to continue sitting as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court?

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Here are excerpts from the affidavit of Aguilon, the caretaker:

“…Sa pagitan ng alas 7 at alas 8 ng gabi (of Jan. 2, 1997) matapos kong makabalik sa Lepanto, dumating ang mag-asawang Cristina at Renato Corona. Galit ang mag-asawa at pasigaw na tinanong ako ni Cristina kung bakit hindi ko inilagay ang kandado na iniwan niya sa Bustillos.

“Mahinahon akong sumagot na hindi kasya ang kandadong iniwan nila kung kaya’t napilitan (gamitin) ang dating kandado upang maisara ang pinto. Sa puntong ito, tinutukan ako ng baril ni Renato sa mukha at sabay sigaw ng ‘Baka gustong mong pasabugin kita.’ Tinanong ko siya kung bakit, subalit hindi ko na nahintay ang kanyong sagot dahil hindi na ako makahinga sa sobrang kaba ng aking dibdib, dahan-dahan akong lumakad papalayo.”