Saturday, April 30, 2016

Repost: Former SC Chief Justice Corona Dies; He was 67

Image courtesy of www.newsinfo.inquirer.net


Senators, justices, judges, and lawyers on Friday mourned the death of former Chief Justice Renato Corona, extolling him for his defense of judicial independence.

Corona, who was removed from office for nondisclosure of his assets following a riveting months-long impeachment trial in 2012, died from cardiac arrest before dawn Friday. He was 67.

Corona, who was known to have battled diabetes for a long time, died at 1:48 a.m. at Medical City in Pasig City, surrounded by family.  He is survived by his wife Cristina and their three children.

“We extend our condolences to the bereaved family of the late Chief Justice Renato Corona and join them in fervent prayers for his eternal repose,” Communications Secretary Herminio Coloma Jr. said in a statement.

Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno and the associate justices “mourn the passing” of Corona, the high court said.  The Philippine flag in all courts and the Supreme Court colors were flown at half-staff beginning Friday.

Corona was appointed Chief Justice in May 2010, but his term was cut short when he was impeached and found guilty of underdeclaring his net worth—the country’s chief magistrate in the country’s history to have suffered such a fate.

“My deepest sympathies to Chief Justice Corona’s family and loved ones,” presidential candidate Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago said in her social media account.

Her running mate, Sen. Ferdinand Marcos Jr., said Corona was a victim of the Aquino administration’s “selective justice.”

“It is always sad to note the passing of a man like Chief Justice Renato Corona upon whom a great injustice was visited and it is unfortunate that at the time of his death he was still under this cloud that remained above him since the impeachment trial,” Marcos said.

Santiago and Marcos, together with Sen. Joker Arroyo who died in October last year, voted to acquit Corona at his impeachment trial.

Corona, an Ateneo de Manila University law graduate who earned his law master’s degree from Harvard University, served as former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s legal counsel and chief of staff before he was appointed Supreme Court associate justice in April 2002.

Arroyo appointed him Chief Justice on May 12, 2010 despite a constitutional prohibition on appointments during elections. Critics called it “midnight appointment.” Arroyo stepped down on June 30, 2010.

Her successor, President Aquino, showed his displeasure over Corona’s appointment by taking his oath before then Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales.

In December 2011, the House of Representatives voted to impeach Corona, initiating a trial against him at the Senate. The trial ended in his conviction for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

In San Pablo City, Laguna, judges and court employees vowed to wear crapes until Corona’s remains were laid to rest.

“For us, [Corona’s] name, honor, and reputation remain unsullied despite the injustice done to him by the powers that be,” said Judge Agripino Morga of the city’s Regional Trial Court Branch 32.

Vicente Joyas, former president of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, said Corona had considerable contributions to the country from his stint in Malacañang to his years in the judiciary.

Joyas remembered Corona as a “fair” justice whose “integrity is beyond question.”

Rico Quicho, a member of Corona’s legal team at his impeachment trial and now the campaign spokesperson for Vice President Jejomar Binay, remembered the late magistrate’s unparalleled “moral courage.”

“I am deeply saddened by the passing of CJ Renato Corona. He is a good man, loving husband and father. CJ Corona fought a good fight to uphold the independence of the institution he dearly loved,” Quicho said in a statement.

Karen Jimeno, also a member of Corona’s legal team in 2012, looked back at how Corona showed strength in the face of a painful and very public trial.

“What I remember from him is that I think he was also unfairly perceived by the public because of the trial by publicity that he had to go through. But at the end of the day, you have a person who is intelligent, which is why he was appointed to the Supreme Court in the first place as justice, and then later on as Chief Justice,” Jimeno told the Inquirer.

Jimeno could not recall the last time she saw Corona, but remembered that he would regularly meet the defense team for dinner even after the trial just to catch up.

“After the impeachment, we stayed in touch with CJ Corona. We would even regularly see him for dinners or get together with the whole defense team,” Jimeno said.

“At that time, he looked OK. He even lost weight in a good way, like he was able to exercise, [he was] spending a lot of quality time with the family,” she added.

Asked if she thought the trial took a toll on Corona, Jimeno said: “I think, to a certain extent, yes.”

“We saw even during the impeachment that his health declined. I think that came from months of having to deal with the media, most of all the stress. Even during the trial, there was one day when his blood sugar dropped very low because he had been with a serious condition of diabetes since before,” she said.

She said the wake of the trial, which led to the filing of tax cases against Corona, added stress to the then already ailing magistrate. “So those things take a toll on your health,” she said.

His death extinguished his criminal liability for cases pending in the Sandiganbayan and Court of Tax Appeals.   With reports from Nikko Dizon, Dona Pazzibugan and Maricar Cinco, Inquirer Southern Luzon

24 comments:

  1. Sana multohin nya si Noynoy at mga senador na tumanggap ng millions sa pag-impeach sa kanya.

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    1. Sana nga multuhin nya si noynoy at hindi patulugin..RIP CJ Corona

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    2. Grabe si Noynoy!!! Si Corona ang pinakaunang Chief Justice na pinaimpeach nila dahil lang sa gusto niyang ipamahagi na ang lupa ng Hacienda Luisita. Nakakaawa.

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    3. Irony: Marcos lambasting selective justice

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  2. Rest in Peace CJ Corona.

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  3. RIP foremer SCJ. We all know that you got depressed when you lose the job you love. Our Job is our life as well. It's our meaning.

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    Replies
    1. You don't live to work. You work to live!

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  4. A victim of a political vendetta and selective justice of the Aquino Administration. He will always be a hero in the hearts of Hacienda Luisita farmers. May you R.I.P. CJ Corona.

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    1. Political vendetta and selective justice? The government will not even be able now to run after his ill gotten wealth because of his death.

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  5. RIP CJ Corona.

    misyel loterte

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  6. Sad. Condolence po sa mga naiwanan nya.

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  7. RIP former CJ Corona,ikaw ang unang biktima ng kawalan ng hustisya sa Noynoy admin. sana maipamahagi na ng tuluyan ang lupain ng magsasaka na naging dahilan para maimpeach ka.

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    1. The issue then was that the land was being distributed to people who were not really from hacienda luisita. Hundreds of people with name on the list were not real farmers.

      Also, acres of land were already distributed even during Pres. Cory's administration.

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  8. Yan yung pinulitika ni noynoy Kaya natanggal sa pwesto kasi gusto ni corona na ibalik na sa mga magsasaka ang hacienda luisita. May his soul rest in eternal peace.

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    1. Pinulitika lang talaga? Wala syang kasalanan or corruption issues? Bilis mo naman makalimot...

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    2. Pinulitika talaga. Ikaw ba naman magrelease ng pork barrel kada mambabatas makuha lang ang gusto mo. May sosyo tayong lahat doon 10:25. O nalimutan mo na din yuon?

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    3. kaya kinampihan ito ni madame miriam kasi alam nyang ginigipit sya ni pnoy, gaya ng ginawa sa kanya ni cory nung sinabihan nyang hatiin ang hacienda luisita at dapat syang magresign sa DAR because of conflict of interest.. ayun, tsinugi din cory si miriam.. like mother like son

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  9. Wag tayo maniwala sa mga sabi sabi ng kampo ni noynoy. Si CJ Corona talaga ang mas may naitulong sa mga magsasaka dito sa Tarlac sa Hacienda Luisita. Dahil siya ang pumirma para maibigay sa mga magsasaka ang lupa na para naman sa kanila. Kaya nga pansin niyo na walang coangco-aquino na nakaupo sa pwesto dito sa Tarlac. RIP CJ Corona.

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  10. Ano eto? Now wala ng makaalala ng sang damakmak na properties at cash sa bank accounts ni corona at pamilya nya? Didn't you guys get it? Sabay ng pagkamatay nya eh ang pagkawala din ng kaso against ill gotten wealth nya pati na rin Tax issues against them.

    Grabe, sobrang bilis talaga makalimot ng mga Pilipino.

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    1. Miss malay mo naman galing po sa may kayang pamilya ang mag asawa corona.
      Mas nakakahiya ang ginawa ng presidente mo, na under the law dapat ibinahagi na ang lupain ng asyendang pinagkakitaan nila ng matagal na panahon. Hindi mo ba naalala na may mga napatay silang magsasaka noon dahil sa pag disperse ng mga taong kinukuha lang ang dapat na para sa kanila? Tapos ginamit pa ang posisyon para manuhol sa mga kapwa niya mambabatas.
      Sino ngayon sa atin ang maigsi ang memorya?

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    2. AnonymousApril 30, 2016 at 10:24 PM - huwag kang echosera, hindi naman naprove na illgotten ang mga iyun! LOL

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  11. Biniktima ng liberal party! pwek!

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  12. RIP CJ Corona. May you rest in peace.

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  13. Victim of Selective Justice. We was a good man, fighting to distribute the lands to the farmers. Siya ang iniipit. Sana may magpatuloy sa laban mo.

    ReplyDelete