Cristina Corona retained lot title 21 years after sale
‘CHARACTER’ WITNESS Demetrio Vicente (center) is questioned by defense lead counsel Serafin Cuevas (right) as prosecution lawyer Jose Justiniano watches on Day 28 of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona at the Senate on Tuesday. SENATE POOL
The deed of absolute sale between Cristina Corona and Demetrio Coronado Vicente involving seven parcels of land in Marikina City was notarized by an unlicensed notary public in Makati City in 1990 and Renato Corona himself witnessed this.
While the deed of absolute sale was executed over 20 years ago, the parcels of land with a total area of 1,700 square meters and purchased for P509,900 in 1990 remained in Cristina’s name. The tax declaration was also in her name.
All this surfaced on Tuesday during the cross-examination of defense witness Vicente, a relative of Corona, on Day 28 of the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice.
He was presented as a defense witness in connection with the second impeachment article, which accuses Corona of not disclosing his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).
Vicente, 70, told the Senate impeachment court that he purchased seven parcels of land in Marikina Heights, Marikina City, from Cristina in July 1990.
Under questioning by the lead defense counsel, Serafin Cuevas, Vicente confirmed that Cristina had paid the capital gains tax and documentary tax for the properties, but claimed that he had been paying real estate property tax from the second half of 1990. He said he had receipts to prove this.
Asked why the parcels of land were still registered in Cristina’s name, Vicente, who amused the gallery audience with some of his answers, said he had no money left to pay for the transfer of the titles to his name after buying these. Besides, the deed of sale was in his possession.
“I’m the caretaker of the property. She has nothing to do with this. It’s not hers. I have a deed of sale,” said Vicente, who built a house at the far end of the property.
Manager’s check
It was, however, private prosecutor Jose Justiniano who elicited crucial information from Vicente such as his relation to Corona, and even produced documents showing that the deed of sale was notarized by an unlicensed notary public and this was witnessed by Corona himself.
Under cross-examination by Justiniano, Vicente said he issued a manager’s check to Cristina as payment, and personally handed this to her at her home at Loyola Heights in Quezon City.
Justiniano wondered why the deed of absolute sale had to be notarized in Makati City when Vicente and Cristina were residents of Quezon City. The lawyer also pointed out that Vicente and Cristina appeared to have obtained their residence certificates on the same day, March 7, 1990.
“It just so happens that we have the same date,” Vicente said. He said he applied for the residence certificate for the purpose of executing the deed of sale. He could not recall where in Makati they had the deed of sale notarized.
Vicente also admitted that Corona (whose middle name is Coronado) was the first cousin of his mother and that Corona was one of two persons who witnessed the notarization of the deed of absolute sale. He did not know the other witness.
Trusted Coronas
He later said he did not see the need to get the titles and tax declaration transferred to his name because Corona was a relative of his, and that he trusted the latter’s family.
Fake public notary
Justiniano later produced a Feb. 21, 2012, certification from the Makati Regional Trial Court clerk of court, Ma. Corazon Cecilia H. Pineda, stating that notary lawyer Ma. Beatriz Mantoya had never been commissioned by the court as notary public for and on behalf of the city.
“Per this certification, the public notary is fake. What do you say to this?” the prosecutor said.
Cuevas objected and said this was “not binding on the witness” since he was not a signatory to this. But Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, presiding officer, allowed the witness to answer, pointing out this was a certification from the court.
Vicente said he wasn’t aware at the time that Mantoya was unlicensed. “Now that I know I can file a case against her,” he said, drawing chuckles. He said it was Cristina who brought him to Mantoya.
He initially said that Corona was not with them, but quickly corrected himself and said that the latter was with them and actually signed as one of the witnesses.
The notarization was dated July 26, 1990.
Justiniano also showed a certified photocopy of a March 18, 2010, certification from Ricardo L. Castro, the Marikina City treasurer, showing that the realty tax was being paid by Cristina.
“I’ve been paying that since 1990 when I purchased the property,” Vicente replied, bringing documents out of a brown envelope and handing these over to the prosecutor.
After a cursory look at a Sept. 14, 2001, official receipt real property tax, Justiniano observed that the payment was received from Cristina.
Vicente explained that the titles had not been transferred to his name, and that the receipts were issued in Cristina’s name, but he paid the taxes from his pocket.
Redirect
During a redirect examination by Cuevas, Vicente confirmed paying the taxes as indicated in realty tax payment receipts from 1990 to March 12, 2012.
Vicente said the titles and tax declaration were still in Cristina’s name. He said he didn’t think it was that important since he was in possession of the deed of sale.
Enrile pointed out that he could not pay the realty tax if the tax declaration had not been transferred to his name. Vicente said he was paying the taxes in Cristina’s name.
Vicente also confirmed that he purchased another 1,700-square-meter lot from Cristina’s sister Miriam, allowing him to own and live on a property with a land area of 3,400 square meters. “That was why I had no more money [to transfer the title to his name],” he said.
No ordinary witness
Vicente is no ordinary witness after all.
Far from the initial impression by senators that he was an aging man—subsisting only on a P25,000-income from apartment rental plus doles from his lone daughter, who is working in Kuwait—he appears to be well-connected.
He also grows and sells bonsai plants at the garden of his 3,400-square-meter property in Marikina City.
At the tail-end of the five-hour trial yesterday, the impeachment court was able to elicit information from Vicente himself that he was not only a cousin of Chief Justice Corona.
Under questioning by Senators Loren Legarda, Alan Peter Cayetano, Jinggoy Estrada and Franklin Drilon, the second witness for the defense claimed to be friends with former Supreme Court Associate Justice Conchita Carpio Morales, who is now the Ombudsman, and Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo.
“The ones I knew—they will be gone from the Supreme Court,” Vicente told Legarda.
The witness revealed that he personally knew “two other” current justices.
Pressed to elaborate, he said: “The two are still there, but one is (retired).” He named Del Castillo as the one “who’s now sick (and confined) at the Asian Hospital.”
Vicente has been married for 46 years to Estrelita Morales-Vicente, a cousin of Conchita’s husband. They live on the property he bought from Cristina.
When Estrada asked him about his source of income, Vicente said he was engaged in the heavy equipment business, particularly renting out payloader machines, when he bought the property in 1990.
“I started (in) 1975, 1976 with one unit, then the (business grew),” he said. With a report from Michael Lim Ubac
