Manila orders probe into property of Corona wife’s family

THE Manila City Government has ordered an investigation on the supposed expropriation of the 1,020.7-square-meter property of the Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc. in Sampaloc, Manila entered by former mayor Lito Atienza with Cristina Corona, wife of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Talks about the expropriation of the BGEI property, located along Legarda street and covered by Transfer of Certificate of Title (TCT) no. 76220, was approved by the City Government in a letter to BGEI in January 2000 to pave the way for the relocation of stallholders of the old and new Sampaloc markets who were displaced by the construction of the Metro Rail Transit Line 2.
The City Hall had made a last and final offer to buy the property at the price of P34,000 per square meter.
The agreement was finalized through a Deed of Absolute Sale dated March 26, 2011, signed by Atienza, Cristina, former secretary to the Mayor Emmanuel Sison, and former city legal officer Melchor Monsod.
However, in a two-page letter dated March 1, 2002, City Legal Officer Renato dela Cruz said the title to the property has not been transferred to the city’s name, as no record including TCT no. 76220 on file with the Register of Deeds would show any transfer.
Dela Cruz wanted to know the answers to the following questions: “Which department is in possession of the original deed of sale and to which department was the owner’s duplicate copy of the TCT surrendered? Was the title transferred to the city? If so, where is the new title? If not, why was the title not transferred?”
If the property has not been transferred to the City Government, dela Cruz said that capital gains tax should have been filed by the company, but the Bureau of Internal Revenue should have possession of the official receipt for such payment.
“We, therefore, request that efforts be exerted to determine what transpired after the execution of the deed and to locate the original copy of the deed, owner’s duplicate copy of TCT 76220, official receipt of payment of capital gains tax and other information relative thereto,” he said.
The letter was addressed to the heads of the City General Services Office, Office of the City Treasurer, Market Administrator and the City Engineer’s Office, copy of which was furnished to Manila Mayor Alfredo Lim.
Dela Cruz further warned that those who failed to comply with the City Hall’s directive may be charged with violation of Republic Act 3019 (anti-graft law) and gross neglect of duty.
According to de La Cruz, the investigation was ordered by Lim upon learning that the title of the BGEI lot had not been transferred to the city despite the payment it made worth more than P34 million over a decade ago.
He said the mayor wanted to find out whether the supposed deed had actually been executed, especially since the BGEI property has been dragged in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Corona in the Senate.
Lim also noted that the property remained to be under the name of BGEI despite the full payment made by the City Government for the purchase of said property.
If there were violations in the execution of the deed of sale, dela Cruz said the city may file appropriate legal actions against Mrs. Corona and certain city officials involved in the sale of the property.
House prosecutors earlier made an issue of the BGEI property, alleging before the Senate impeachment court that the Chief Justice could not have received an P11-million cash advance from BGEI, a company owned by his wife’s family, in 2003 because its certificate of registration was revoked that same year.
Last February 16, a Philippine Savings Bank official testified in the Senate that Corona, through his wife, closed three accounts — whose opening balances totaled P32.6 million — on December 12, 2011, the same day House lawmakers filed the impeachment complaint against him.
Sought for comment, defense lawyer and spokesman lawyer Ramon Esguerra said the money in the Corona bank accounts was held in trust by BGEI, but that “the money is still intact.”
“Mrs. Corona received it in trust for the corporation. The check says so. She appears to be the administratrix of the estate of the Basa matriarch, and the city government paid the check to her in that capacity,” he said.
Esguerra said that while the defense panel has not officially considered adding Atienza in its list of witnesses, the lawyers have decided on presenting as witness the records custodian of the Manila City Hall, for whom they will ask the impeachment court to issue a subpoena duces tecum.
“In our list is the records custodian of the city of Manila simply to produce certified true copies of pertinent documents on the expropriation of BGEI property where the Sampaloc market is presently located. The check evidencing payment of the compensation is certainly relevant vis-a-vis the cash advances made from that fund by the couple Chief Justice and Mrs. Corona,” he said in a text message. (ECV/Sunnex)
Published March 6, 2012

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