Sister Flory: They can keep money but we want justice

THE ORIGINAL STOCKHOLDER. Sister Flory Basa, a 90-year-old Franciscan nun and aunt of the wife of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona, expresses willingness to testify in the impeachment trial. She is one of the original stockholders of the Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc. which reportedly lent Corona P11 million. RICHARD REYES

Despite the issue concerning the family property dispute still unsettled, Sister Flory Basa said the family has long forgiven her niece, Cristina, and the latter’s husband, impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The family had also ceased to demand their share of the disputed inheritance but would continue to search for justice, said Basa, 90, a Franciscan missionary who is the oldest surviving member of the Basa family.

“My niece Ana has said, OK they can keep the money. They can return it if they want. They already have it. But we are also looking for justice,” said Sister Flory, a sister of Cristina’s mother, Asuncion Basa-Roco.

The nun said that of her siblings, it was her brother, the late Jose Ma. Basa III, the father of Ana Basa, who had been the most ardent about seeking justice.

“Ana’s father was most hurt by this (what Cristina allegedly did). Ana is just picking up from what her dad started, this search for justice,” Sister Flory said.

Members of the Basa family have accused Cristina of ignoring the original shareholders of the Basa-Guidote Enterprise Inc. (BGEI), which was created to manage the Basa estate.

The controversy over the Basa property surfaced in the course of the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice after the Corona camp claimed that the P32.6 million deposited in one of the Corona accounts at Philippine Savings Bank actually belonged to BGEI.

Corona also said he took out an P11-million loan or cash advance from BGEI, which he listed in his SALN as among his liabilities.

Radyo Inquirer was able to track down Sister Flory to a convent in Cavite City after her niece Ana Basa gave a lengthy interview with the Inquirer.

Sister Flory corroborated Ana’s account of the roots of the feud between Cristina and the rest of the family.