Drilon says Corona lawyers dug own graves by presenting court sheriff

Senator Franklin Drilon INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—Chief Justice Renato Corona’s lawyers “dug their own graves’’ by presenting a court sheriff who reported the auction of the shares of the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. nine years later, Sen. Franklin Drilon said Wednesday.

The senator-judge said Tuesday’s testimony by sheriff Joseph Bisnar of the Quezon City Regional Trial Court Branch 216 may have put a dent on the defense case because he appeared to be “covering things up.”

“I think they dug their own graves. I did not see the point in presenting the sheriff, who to my mind was lying and was covering up things,” Drilon told reporters, citing his decision to report the auction nine years later. “These to me are indications that he was lying.”

Defense lawyer Tranquil Salvador III said they respected Drilon’s view.

“There are 22 other senator-judges and we hope that they will appreciate in the manner that we intend it to be appreciated, that is, ownership of the shares in Basa Guidote is with Carla Castillo,” Salvador said in a text message.

Bisnar auctioned off BGEI’s 4,389 shares in 2003 that were eventually sold to Corona’s daughter, Carla Corona-Castillo, for P28,000. He, however, admitted that he filed a report only in 2012.

The auction was part of the execution of the QC court’s conviction for libel of Jose Ma. Basa III and two others in October 2002 based on the complaint of Cristina Corona. The defendants were ordered to pay P500,000 in moral damages and attorneys’ fees, and sentenced to a maximum one year, eight months and 21 days behind bars.

The libel stemmed from the estafa case filed by Basa and several others against Cristina, alleging that she did not account for the rent she collected from the tenants of the BGEI building in Manila.

The defense presented Bisnar, along with clerk of court Lucita Cristi, to show the ownership of the BGEI in relation to P11-million loan the company extended to Corona, an item he declared in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Drilon said Bisnar’s testimony was “totally unnecessary” for the defense.

“I don’t understand why that sheriff has to be presented,” he said.

Salvador disputed this. “By presenting Sheriff Bisnar, we were able to prove that the majority shares in Basa Guidote are owned by Carla Castillo,” he said.

Last Tuesday, private prosecutor Cynthia Corazon Roxas told the court that Cristina was aware her uncle, Jose Basa, died on Aug. 29, 2002 yet she still moved for the execution of the court order against him and his two co-defendants.

The criminal and civil liability of an accused is extinguished once he dies, Roxas said.