inside Philippine politics and beyond
SC spokesman, however, said Corona’s parents had money Exclusive by Raïssa Robles Chief Justice Renato Corona could afford to own luxury properties like the Bellagio penthouse because he was a man “not of ordinary means”, Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez said. In one interview Marquez gave to ABS-CBN’ Umagang Kay Ganda last December, Marquez said: Dapat nating isipin, hindi sa [...]
Analysis By Raïssa Robles McKinley Hill in The Fort looks like a slice of California. It is therefore understandable that someone like Charina Corona, who has lived for nearly a decade in the United States, would want a unit here. In fact she holds the title to one of the units. How Charina came to hold the title is quite interesting. [...]
A Plaza Miranda Exclusive By Raïssa Robles Soon after Chief Justice Renato Corona categorically denied that he and his family owned any property in the United States, a California lawyer sent me documentary evidence showing the purchase of a house in Roseville, California by the chief magistrate’s youngest daughter, Charina. This purchase was made 22 days before she allegedly bought [...]
A Plaza Miranda exclusive By Raïssa Robles I’m asking this question because a certain Renato C. Corona is linked to addresses in Tampa, Florida and Mountain View, California by US public records. Take for instance this address in Tampa - This is the property - And here’s the close-up - Another address mentioned is Mountain View in California, home of [...]
Our Plaza Miranda Exclusive - By Raïssa Robles Senator-Judge Ralph Recto told lawyer Serafin Cuevas last week that his client, Chief Justice Renato Corona, must testify at his own impeachment trial. Recto made this statement after asking retired Justice Cuevas the following questions regarding Cristina Corona’s sale of a 1,700-square meter Marikina property in July 1990 to her husband’s cousin [...]
Our Plaza Miranda Exclusive - By Raïssa Robles Chief Justice Renato Corona listed the Marikina property as an “Asset” in his 1992 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN) two years after his wife Cristina sold it to his cousin. This point – raised by Senator Judge Ralph Recto – was probably the most interesting revelation in the four [...]
My Exclusive By Raïssa Robles Cash from a defense lawyer of Chief Justice Renato Corona could enable Demetrio Vicente to transfer to his name a valuable property that remains in the name of the chief magistrate’s wife 22 years after buying it from her. Private lawyer Ramon Esguerra told me in an exclusive interview: Personally, I’m willing to advance money [...]
My exclusive By Raïssa Robles Early this year before the impeachment trial began, intermediaries of Chief Justice Renato Corona reportedly told the presidential palace that Corona would be willing to step down provided two conditions were met. First, he would stay on as Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. And second, he would get to name his successor. One [...]
By Raïssa Robles As Defense lawyer Serafin Cuevas mightily tried to have the Senate toss out the impeachment case yesterday against Chief Justice Renato Corona, Senator-judge Joker Arroyo told him in no uncertain terms that the Senate could not do it. Calling him “Justice Cuevas, my friend,” Arroyo gently said it wasn’t possible. Before I go any further, I would [...]
Liabilities and Assets of Chief Justice Renato Corona will be the main legal battleground when his lawyers present evidence in his defense starting tomorrow, Monday. To serve as your Quick Reference Guide during the course of the trial, I am posting here page one of every Statement of Assets and Liabilities he has submitted to the government since 2003. Strictly, speaking, [...]
Analysis By Raïssa Robles Judge Miriam Defensor-Santiago skipped her scheduled oath-taking Friday at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as Asia’s first woman judge. The ceremony in The Hague, Netherlands would have been a fitting symbol for the world celebration of International Women’s Month this March. It would have been a triumph for herself, for her country, for Asia and for [...]
By Raïssa Robles When political tensions rise, the ever resilient Filipino instinctively cracks jokes. The impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona is one more instance in our nation’s history where jokes – expressed as political satire – have become a measurement of public dissatisfaction or outrage. Jokes on Corona have turned viral on the Web One example [...]
Read the actual affidavit where “Mang Indo” claims Chief Justice Corona poked a gun at him By Raïssa Robles From the grave, two men have reportedly been crying out for justice. Now, suddenly, they have a chance to be heard. I am talking of Pedro Aguilon and Jose Maria Basa III. Two months ago, I posted the letter of the [...]
By Raïssa Robles Supreme Court Justice Serafin Cuevas played a key role in a coup attempt against then President Corazon Aquino shortly after being ejected from the Marcos-appointed Supreme Court in the wake of the 1986 Edsa People Power uprising, . [UPDATE, March1: Former Supreme Court Justice Serafine Cuevas admitted today that he once lawyered for Senate President Juan Ponce [...]
My Exclusive By Raïssa Robles Two Associate Justices of the Supreme Court and noted constitutionalist Fr. Joaquin Bernas are among the witnesses named by the defense lawyers to testify in behalf of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona. Defense lawyers Jose M. Roy III and Dennis P. Manalo named Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco as the main witness who will counter the [...]
My exclusive By Raïssa Robles Retired Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas is probably one of the best defense lawyers in the country. However, he doesn’t seem to do as well during cross-examination. At least twice, Cuevas has stumbled during cross-examination. He enabled tax chief Kim Henares to enter even more damaging evidence against his client, Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona. [...]
Think about it By Raïssa Robles In the course of my investigations I gather bits and pieces of information which can’t be developed into long stories but can be used to form a pattern of analysis and lead to informed speculation. When I say “informed”, I mean informed as a journalist who has been in the news business for several [...]
Read banker Clarissa Ocampo’s testimony By Raïssa Robles It was Clarissa Ocampo’s alluring perfume that prompted President Joseph Estrada to see her in person. “Sobrang bango niya,” a presidential bodyguard told Estrada. This was what a senior banker recently told me, in turn quoting an eyewitness of that fateful event on the night of February 4, 2000. Estrada’s encounter with [...]
A commentary By Raïssa Robles Everyone assumes that all the US dollars that Chief Justice Renato Corona stashed in banks are covered by the bank secrecy law. Let me offer the theory that they might not be ALL covered and the Senate impeachment court can legally look into them. Yes, I know I am a mere reporter with no formal [...]
Expresses support for my work Because the name of South China Morning Post (HK), the newspaper I write for, was being dragged as well into the messy political battle, I had to inform my immediate editor at the Foreign Desk, Andrew London, of this fact. This was after The Daily Tribune owner-publisher Ninez Cacho-Olivares wrote that based on her “a impeachable [...]