Corona: Raps on impropriety vicious lies

By Benjamin B. Pulta

02/09/2010

Supreme Court Senior Associate Justice Renato Corona has rejected charges of impropriety leveled against him by a losing litigant even as the high court said it will welcome public feedback on the applicants for the chief justice position to be vacated in May.

Corona issued this reaction, stemming from a story in the ABS-CBN Web site that brought out the charges of the losing litigant.

Court insiders, however, told the Tribune that this complaint was leaked by the office of another justice, in a bid to paint Corona as “unfit” for the top magistracy, and that there appears to be a concerted effort on the part of some justices to have the other justices who gave no conditions to their being appointed to the high seat, destroyed though villification.

SC administrator and spokesman Midas Marquez told reporters yesterday that the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) will proceed to the next step of the selection process for the position of chief justice and publish the names of eight candidates who applied or were nominated in major newspapers.

“The JBC will get any third party comments from the public regarding the aspirants,” he told reporters in a press conference. He said the comments would be verified and investigated by the JBC under the rules.

The eight seven contenders for the chief justice post are: Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio; Associate Justices Renato Corona, Conchita Carpio-Morales, Arturo Brion and Teresita Leonardo-De Castro; Sandiganbayan Acting Presiding Justice Edilberto Sandoval; and Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio and Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernandez.

Marquez said the JBC is also checking on the reportedly pending cases against Villa-Ignacio as part of the deliberation process.

Villa-Ignacio is reportedly facing other administrative and criminal charges before the Ombudsman, including estafa and grave misconduct filed by Asst. Special Prosecutor Elvira Chua for allegedly diversion of her P26,000 donation to the Gawad Kalinga charity.

Marquez also said that the JBC would then set public interviews for the candidates before officially starting deliberations.

Marquez added the JBC will also later on decide on whether or not it wouldsubmit the shortlist to President Arroyo, a controversy that sparked heated legal and political debate.

Corona yesterday denied an accusation of a litigant (businessman and lawyer Fernando Campos) that he was bribed into dismissing a case against the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (PAGCOR) and PhilWeb Corp. over the operation of online cockfight betting.

In his 21-page letter to the JBC, he stressed that the accusation is a “vicious lie” because he used his personal funds during his trips abroad. The magistrate said that Campos’ claims are totally false and his accusations are “malicious and outright lies.”

“Campos’ letter was an assault against the integrity of the court. He makes it appear that the members of the First Division, including the Chief justice as chairman, could be influenced, coerced or pressured by a single member to act one way or another,” Corona explained.

Corona said believes that the allegation was created by “some people (who) have no qualms about destroying the reputation of those they perceive to be stumbling blocks to their ambition.”

Campos claimed that Corona penned a record-breaking rule that dismissed the certiorari petition he filed in only two days.

“Despite the ‘voluminous records and annexes,’ the First Division dismissed his petition on April 20, 2009 in a record-breaking 20 days, excluding the Holy Week. The decision, however, was only promulgated on May 28, 2009.

He also accused Corona of meeting with a Philweb lawyer in Baguio during the annual retreat of the justices there.

He added that Corona failed to inhibit himself despite his integrity being questioned over the case.

While Chief Justice Reynato Puno reconsidered the case and allowed the same to be included in the high court’s agenda, he added that Corona still participated in the ruling and resulted in the case being dismissed with finality.

Records showed that Campos has asked the JBC to look into the ruling that Corona reportedly penned, dismissing the certiorari case Campos filed against the PagCor and PhilWeb Corp. over the operation of online cockfight betting.

“There is something more than meets the eye in this case, which the JBC should review. Why did Justice Corona, after dismissing it on April 20, 2009, leave hurriedly for Las Vegas to watch the Pacquiao-Hatton fight on May 3, 2009? And why, after being informed by the Chief Justice that there is a complaint for undue haste against him, Justice Corona did not inhibit himself from dismissing it with finality on July 8, 2009,” Campos said in his letter.

Campos heads the Inter-Petal Recreational Corporation (IPRC) composed of cockfighting aficionados which has its roots in 1992 in Dasmariñas City.

In its attempt to reach Filipinos based overseas, it started to tap the internet by telecasting “Tele-Sabong” which televises the cockfights live and people placed their bets through the cyberspace.

Pending tax and franchise papers before Cavite’s local government units, PagCor stepped in claiming that it had jurisdiction over the grant of franchise to on-line gaming firms in the country.

The legal suit resulted in multi-million losses when investors started backing-out.

Later, PagCor entered into a deal with PhilWeb, a gaming firm headed by former Marcos trade minister Roberto Ongpin.

Campos filed a certiorari on March 18, 2009 before the high court, and this was raffled to the First Division. Members of the First Division are Chief Justice Puno, Justices Antonio Carpio, Lucas Bersamin and Corona.

The case was dismissed with finality.

Meanwhile,a dismissed judge Florentino Floro was taken of the list of chief justice hopefuls by the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC).

Marquez stated that Floro was removed from the list since he has been severed from the judiciary.

In 2006, the Supreme Court ordered Floro’s dismissal from the bench after finding him suffering from psychosis that impaired his judgement.

Applicants for the Chief Justice post include Deputy Ombudsman for Luzon Victor Fernadez, Special Prosecutor Dennis Villa-Ignacio, SC Associate Justices Carpio-Morales, Carpio, Corona, Arturo Brion,De Castro, and Sandiganbayan Asscociate Justice Edilberto Sandoval. Floro claimed to be a clairvoyant and can see dwarves. He stated that he predicted the inclusion of the journalists in the now infamous Maguindanao massacre.

Back to top

For comments about this website:Webmaster@tribune.net.ph
The Daily Tribune © 2006