Renato Corona

Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona[1] (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo on April 9, 2002, and later as Chief Justice on May 12, 2010, upon the retirement of Chief Justice Reynato Puno.

Renato Corona
23rd Chief Justice of the Philippines
In office
May 17, 2010  May 29, 2012
Appointed byGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byReynato Puno
Succeeded byMaria Lourdes Sereno (De facto)
Teresita Leonardo-De Castro (De jure)
150th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
In office
April 9, 2002  May 17, 2010
Appointed byGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byArturo Buena
Succeeded byMaria Lourdes Sereno
Chief of Staff to the President
In office
January 20, 2001  April 9, 2002
PresidentGloria Macapagal Arroyo
Preceded byAprodicio Laquian
Succeeded byRigoberto Tiglao
Personal details
Born
Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona

(1948-10-15)October 15, 1948
Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines[1]
DiedApril 29, 2016(2016-04-29) (aged 67)
Pasig, Philippines
Cause of deathHeart attack
Resting placeHeritage Memorial Park,
Taguig, Metro Manila, Philippines
SpouseCristina Roco
Children3
EducationAteneo de Manila University (BA, LL.B, MBA)
Harvard University (LL.M)
University of Santo Tomas (DCL)
AffiliationFraternal Order of Utopia

Corona was previously a law professor, private law practitioner and member of the Cabinet under former presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before being appointed to the high tribunal.

On July 5, 2011, the Supreme Court, headed by Corona, issued a landmark decision on the Hacienda Luisita case, wherein, under agrarian reform laws, the Court upheld both the distribution of land to the hacienda's farm workers and the revocation of the SDO agreement forged in 1989.[2][3] The Cojuangco group was given a ten-year window to distribute the lands to the farmers as stipulated.[4]

Background

Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona was born on October 15, 1948, at the Lopez Clinic in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines. He was the son of Juan M. Corona, a lawyer from Tanauan, Batangas, and Eugenia Ongcapin Coronado of Santa Cruz, Manila.[1][5] He was married to Cristina Basa Roco. They had three children and six grandchildren.[6]

Education

Corona graduated with gold medal honors from the Ateneo de Manila grade school in 1962 and high school in 1966.

He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, also from Ateneo de Manila, in 1970, where he was the editor-in-chief of The GUIDON, the university student newspaper. He finished his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo Law School in 1974. He placed 25th out of 1,965 candidates in the bar examination with a grade of 84.6%. After pursuing law studies, he obtained his Master of Business Administration degree at the Ateneo Professional Schools.[6]

In 1981, he was accepted to the Master of Laws program of the Harvard Law School, where he focused on foreign investment policies and the regulation of corporate and financial institutions. He was conferred the degree LL.M. in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Santo Tomas, summa cum laude and was the class valedictorian.[6]

As Chief Justice

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administers the oath of office to Supreme Court of the Philippines Chief Justice Renato C. Corona at the Malacanang Palace on May 17, 2010
Chambers of Renato C. Corona in the new Supreme Court of the Philippines building.

On May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 general election and a month before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term expired, Corona was appointed the 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, succeeding Reynato Puno who had reached the mandatory age of retirement.[7]

His appointment was highly criticized, notably by then presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III and former President Fidel V. Ramos, due to a constitutional prohibition against Arroyo from making appointments two months before the election up to the end of her term.[7]

Doctoral degree controversy

On December 22, 2011, Marites Dañguilan Vitug of the online news site Rappler, published an article alleging that the University of Santo Tomas (UST) "may have broken its rules" in granting Corona a doctorate in civil law and qualifying him for honors.

In a statement, the UST Graduate School denied that it broke its rules to favor Corona. It added that Corona had enrolled in all of the requisite subjects leading to the doctorate, attended his classes, passed them and delivered a "scholarly treatise" for his dissertation in a public lecture. UST said that since it has been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as an "autonomous higher educational institution (HEI)" it thus enjoys an institutional academic freedom to set its standards of quality and excellence and determine to whom it shall confer appropriate degrees. It added that issues about Corona's residency and academic honor received were moot because these come under the institutional academic freedom of the university.[8] UST likewise questioned the objectivity of the article citing that Vitug has had a run-in with Corona and the Supreme Court.[9] Vitug supported Associate Justice Antonio Carpio's bid for the chief justiceship in her articles in Rogue and Newsbreak.[10][11]

The Hacienda Luisita Case

Protests against the Massacre.

The Hacienda Luisita legal battle and final Supreme Court decision spanned almost fifty years.[12] The Cojuangco-Aquinos refused to honor their legal obligation to distribute the land under the social justice program, as per the terms of the loan that allowed them to take over the Hacienda. On January 22, 1987, thousands of farmers marched to Malacañang Palace to demand the distribution of the land. On November 2004, the farmers held a strike against the mass retrenchment of farm workers and to request for higher pay, however they were dispersed by the police by the then Labor Secretary Patricia Santo Tomás which resulted to the deaths of 7 people, and imprisonment of 133 others, this was known as the Hacienda Luisita Massacre.[13]

Impeachment

On December 12, 2011, 188 of the 285 members of the House of Representatives signed an impeachment complaint against Corona.[14] As only a vote of one-third of the entire membership of the House, or 95 signatures, were necessary for the impeachment of Corona under the 1987 Constitution, the complaint was sent to the Senate for trial.[15][14]

Corona's judicial chambers after the impeachment.

Corona was accused of consistently ruling with partiality to former President Arroyo in cases involving her administration and of failing to disclose his statement of assets as required by the Constitution. However he argues that he was not required to disclose US$2.4 million because foreign deposits are guaranteed secrecy under the Philippine's Foreign Currency Deposits Act (Republic Act No. 6426)[16] and that the peso accounts are co-mingled funds. Corona said that the case against him was politically motivated as part of President Benigno Aquino III's persecution of political enemies.[17]

On May 29, 2012, he was found guilty by the Senate of Article II of the Articles of Impeachment filed against him for his failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth.[18] Twenty out of twenty-three senators voted to convict him. A two-thirds majority, or 16 votes, was necessary to convict and remove Corona from office. Corona responded by declaring that "ugly politics prevailed" and his "conscience is clear." This marked the first time that a high-level Philippine official has been impeached and convicted. Senator Joker Arroyo denounced the verdict, ending his statement with "I cannot imagine removing a Chief Justice on account of a SALN. Today, we are one step from violating the constitution and passing a bill of attainder. No one can stop us if we do not stop ourselves. This is not justice – political or legal. This is certainly not law, for sure it is not the law of the constitution. It is only naked power as it was in 1972. I haven't thought that I would see it again so brazenly performed but for what it is worth, I cast my vote. If not for innocence falsely accused, of offenses yet to exist, and if not for the law and the constitution, that we were privileged to restore under Cory Aquino, then because it is dangerous not to do what is right. When soon we stand before the Lord, I vote to acquit".[19] Senator Pia Cayetano explained her vote by stating that "the failure to declare $2.4 million and some 80 million pesos is not minor."[20][21]

In his September 25, 2013, privilege speech, Jinggoy Estrada, one of the senators who voted to convict Corona of article two of the articles of impeachment, said that all senators, except Bongbong Marcos, Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, received ₱50 million each to remove Corona from office.[22][23][24][25] On January 20, 2014, Senator Bong Revilla revealed that President Aquino spoke with him to convict the Chief Justice.[26][27]

Post-impeachment

On April 25, 2014, the Department of Justice issued a hold departure order against Corona along with former Ilocos Sur Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson.[28] In June 2016, the Sandiganbayan Third Division dismissed the pending criminal cases of Corona after his death.[29]

Death

Corona died on April 29, 2016, at 1:48 a.m. at The Medical City in Pasig due to complications of a heart attack.[30][31] He also suffered from kidney disease and diabetes.[32]

Notable opinions

References

  1. "Philippines, Manila, Civil Registration, 1899-1984; pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1-15574-21292-23 — FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch.
  2. "Hacienda Luisita must be paid, SC orders Gov't". inquirer.net. April 29, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  3. ""Holding on: A Hacienda Luisita timeline from the Spanish to the Noynoy eras"". gmanetwork.com. GMA News Online. August 18, 2010. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  4. "For Land and Justice: The Continuing Agrarian Struggle in Hacienda Luisita. Report of the 2013 Hacienda Luisita National Fact-Finding Mission" (PDF). Luisita Watch. November 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2022.
  5. "Philippines Civil Registration (Local), 1888-1984; pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-27113-16664-57 — FamilySearch.org". FamilySearch.
  6. "The Chief Justice". Supreme Court of the Philippines. Archived from the original on June 20, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  7. "Corona assumes as Chief Justice". Manila Bulletin. May 17, 2010. Archived from the original on May 22, 2010. Retrieved May 31, 2012.
  8. "UST: CJ Corona earned PhD". Philippine Daily Inquirer. January 12, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  9. "UST faculty affirms: Corona earned summa honors". GMA News Online. January 3, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  10. Vitug, Marites (June 2009). "Carpio's Force". Rogue (22): 88.
  11. "Carpio's Force". Newsbreak. July 3, 2009. Retrieved October 2, 2012. {{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  12. "The Hacienda Luisita issue". kami.com.ph. April 19, 2021. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  13. "Duterte puts blame on Cory Aquino for Hacienda Luisita massacre". mb.com.ph. August 7, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  14. "Chief Justice Corona impeached". ABS-CBN News. December 11, 2011.
  15. "House majority oks impeach case vs Corona for Senate trial". GMA News. December 11, 2011.
  16. Lawphil.net. "REPUBLIC ACT No. 6426". Lawphil.net. Retrieved July 27, 2012.
  17. "Philippine senate convicts top judge". Al Jazeera. May 29, 2012.
  18. "Senate votes 20–3 to convict Corona". Philippine Daily Inquirer. May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  19. "SENATOR JOKER ARROYO: CORONA NOT GUILTY". News 5. May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  20. "Philippine top judge Renato Corona faces sack for corruption". BBC News. May 29, 2012. Retrieved May 30, 2012.
  21. "Philippine Chief Justice Removed Over Omission in Report on Assets". New York Times. May 29, 2012.
  22. "Palace: No comment on Corona's 'vindication'". ABS-CBN News. September 27, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  23. Punay, Edu (September 26, 2013). "I feel vindicated – Corona". Phil Star. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  24. "Corona says he feels 'vindicated' after Jinggoy speech". GMA Network. September 25, 2013. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  25. Canlas, Jomar (September 27, 2013). "Corona: Thank you Lord for vindication". The Manila Times. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  26. Macaraig, Ayee (January 20, 2014). "Revilla hits Aquino for 'crooked justice'". Rappler. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  27. Ager, Maila (January 21, 2014). "Aquino secret meeting with Revilla not illegal, say 2 senators". Inquirer.net. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  28. Pazzibugan, Dona Z.; Salaverria, Leila B.; Santos, Tina G. (April 26, 2014). "Renato Corona, Chavit Singson barred from leaving". Philippine Daily Inquirer. Retrieved May 1, 2016.
  29. Cahinhinan, John Carlo (June 1, 2016). "Sandiganbayan dismisses criminal raps vs Corona". Sun.Star. Retrieved June 11, 2016.
  30. "Former Chief Justice Renato Corona dies at age 67". GMA News. April 29, 2016.
  31. "Former Chief Justice Renato Corona dies". CNN Philippines. 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2016.
  32. "Ex-Chief Justice Corona passes away at 67". Manila Bulletin. 2016. Retrieved April 29, 2016.
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