Witness Demetrio Vicente keen on leaving Marikina property

Defense witness Demetrio Vicente is keen on moving out of his 3,400-square-meter property in Marikina Heights, which prosecutors claim is owned by impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

But not because of the stress of the impeachment trial. Vicente, Corona’s second cousin, is looking for a new place where real property taxes are not as hefty.

“I need a bigger area. I only want land because land [value] appreciates and the house [value] appreciates,” said Vicente, 70, who insists he owns the property in Marikina City.

“But [I will buy] not in Marikina, maybe in San Mateo [in Rizal]. The tax is cheaper there. I want to move because of taxes,” he said.

Vicente wants to put sell his property for P27.2 million.

He said he purchased the lot from Corona’s wife, Cristina, and her sister, Miriam Roco, in July 1990 for P1.02 million and built his house and bonsai garden from scratch.

The sale is questioned by Corona’s prosecutors as Vicente has failed to transfer the lot’s title to his name. Prosecutors believe that the sprawling lot still belongs to the Coronas and that Vicente is just a caretaker.

Vicente, however, asserts that the land is his as he has been paying real property taxes in the last 22 years.

He currently pays P35,000 a year, already half the supposed full tax of P70,000, after the city government reduced the real property tax rate following the massive flooding brought by Tropical Storm “Ondoy” that devastated the city in 2009.

Selling the property will require Vicente to transfer the property to his name.

“I want to move while the tax [discount] is still 50 percent … I’ll wait for the time that I’ll be able to sell this,” Vicente told the Inquirer.

“I have to transfer it to my name and pay a penalty of P200,000, which I don’t have. [The amount has gone up] because of penalties for not transferring it in 20 years,” Vicente said.

He said he would no longer put a price on his house but would not sell the whole property for less than P27.2 million.

“That’s my selling price, not lower. If you know somebody, a broker, you refer this to him or her,” Vicente said.

Vicente, an ornamental plant enthusiast, maintains a collection of some 2,000 bonsai trees on his property. He also takes care of fruit-bearing trees and a few animals. He shares his home with his wife, Estrelita.

Originally posted: 7:00 pm | Sunday, March 18th, 2012