Corona's increasing (mis)fortunes

Justioce Renato Corona

It is clear that Justice Corona’s fortunes have been increasing since he became chief justice. That’s what his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth says. According to the Supreme Court records, his net worth has increased by more than P8 million from 2002 to 2010.

Almost P8.5 million was added to his net wroth since he was appointed chief justice by former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo due to  properties worth P22, 983,980 that he acquired.

And to think that he was supposed to be getting only P40,000 a month in salary or less than half a million a year. The big question is: Where did he get the money to acquire these assets??

But the bigger question now is: Was Corona telling the truth when he filed his SALN? There are at least six instances that he seemed to have misdeclared his SALN.

First, in his La Vista property.

One of the properties is in Quezon City's La Vista Subdivision, where many rich and powerful people live. The 1,200-sqm  property was purchased by the Corona and his wife in 2003 for P11 million, but lot is valued at only P3 million in the SALN.

The second is the 62.7-square meter condominium unit at 1 Burgundy Plaza, Quezon   City which they bought for P2.5 million in 2003. But this was valued at only P900,000.

Titles also show the Coronas purchased a condominium unit in Makati in 2004, and in Taguig in 2005. However, these were only reflected on the chief justice's SALN in 2010.

It also appears Corona undervalued his condominium unit at the Bellagio in Taguig. The penthouse was purchased for P14.5 million in 2010, but was declared at only P6 million.

Corona also failed to declare a 600 square-meter lot in Quezon City purchased in 1995.

Although the Coronas sold 2 lots in 2010 for P26 million, they declared their net worth in the same year at only P22 million.

If this ain’t lying or falsification of public documents, what is it? Corona’s defense panel dismissed the prosecution’s claim that Corona misdeclared his net worth on purpose, blaming fluctuations in market. Discrepancies in market value and purchase price are not unusual, they said.

Are they trying to tell us that Corona was just indicating the real market value in his SALN? Excuses. What is clear is that there are huge discrepancies in Corona’s declarations and the purchase price of these properties.

Sino ba ang niloloko n’yo? Now obviously Corona did not pay the right amount of taxes too. Now does that not make him a liar and a cheat?