Palace dared to look into Carpio assets

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, Malacañang’s reported choice to succeed Chief Justice Renato Corona if he is ousted, has come under scrutiny in the Supreme Court.

Like Corona, Carpio is said to be ensconced in a multimillion-peso penthouse unit in a swanky condominium building in Makati City, according to a senior court official.

The source, who asked not to be named to avoid reprisal, challenged Malacañang and President Benigno Aquino III’s allies in the House of Representatives to look into Carpio’s alleged questionable acquisition of an 800-square-meter unit atop  Avignon Tower on HV De la Costa Street in Salcedo Village.

“If they are really after the truth, then the House and Malacañang should also investigate (Carpio) for owning the 800-square-meter property,” the source said.

“If they really believe justices of the Supreme Court cannot afford to buy condominium units, then they should check out who really owns that unit in Avignon.”

However, the source did not say if Carpio bought the unit after he was appointed by then President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo to the high tribunal in 2001.

The Philippine Daily Inquirer attempted to get the reaction of Carpio but he was unavailable.

‘The Firm’

One of the youngest appointees to the high court, Carpio was among the founding members of the influential Villaraza, Cruz Marcelo & Angangco law office, popularly known as the “The Firm.”

The law firm once provided legal services to Arroyo and members of her family but later had a falling out.

Carpio was said to be Corona’s closest rival for the position  vacated by then retiring Chief Justice Reynato Puno in May 2010.

An entry identified as Mullato on philboxing.com—a favorite website among boxing enthusiasts—also claimed that  “a very reliable source reveals” that Carpio was the registered owner of the unit in Avignon tower.

User Mullato said the justice “owns and lives in an 800+ square meter luxury Penthouse Condominium unit with its own private pool at the top of Avignon Tower in Salcedo Village, Makati.”

“I’m pretty sure (Iloilo Rep.) Niel Tupas (and journalists) Maria Ressa and Maritess Vitug know this too. Can they also expose this questionable wealth of Carpio in (the) interest of fairness?” Mullato said.

“This is where he met Representative Casiño to plan out people power in case Corona is acquitted by the Senate,” the user added, apparently referring to Bayan Muna Rep. Teodoro Casiño.

Statement of assets

Carpio, Arroyo’s first appointee to the high court when she rose to power in 2001 through a popular uprising, recently furnished a summary of his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) to the anticorruption watchdog, Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership.

In a one-page document, Carpio placed his total net worth in 2010 at P46,344,928, with total assets of P47,269,928 and total liabilities of P75,000.

Carpio said he was also entitled to certain portions in the separate estates of Bernardo D. Carpio, Sol Carpio and Lourdes D. Carpio.

The justice, however, did not specify the properties he owned.

Carpio said the legal question concerning the public disclosure of SALN of judges and justices was still being studied by a special committee created by the high court.

Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, the President’s first appointee to the Supreme Court, listed total assets of P17,996,810.82 and total liabilities of P155,457.17 in 2009 for a total net worth of P17,841,353.65

In 2010, Sereno declared a total net worth of P17,762,167.26 after deducting her total liabilities of P142,342.88 from her total assets of P17,904,510.14.

Like Carpio, Sereno also did not disclose the properties she had acquired.