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Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona (October 15, 1948 – April 29, 2016) was a Filipino judge who was the 23rd chief justice of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. He served as an associate justice after being appointed by President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
on April 9, 2002, and later as Chief Justice on May 12, 2010, upon the retirement of Chief Justice
Reynato Puno Reynato Puno y Serrano, KGCR ( Filipino: ''Reynato Serrano Puno''; born May 17, 1940) is a Filipino jurist. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from December 8, 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo un ...
. Corona was previously a law professor, private law practitioner and member of the
Cabinet Cabinet or The Cabinet may refer to: Furniture * Cabinetry, a box-shaped piece of furniture with doors and/or drawers * Display cabinet, a piece of furniture with one or more transparent glass sheets or transparent polycarbonate sheets * Filin ...
under former presidents Fidel V. Ramos and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo before being appointed to the high tribunal. On July 5, 2011, the Supreme Court, headed by Corona, issued a landmark decision on the ''Hacienda Luisita'' case, wherein, under agrarian reform laws, the Court upheld both the distribution of land to the hacienda's farm workers and the revocation of the SDO agreement forged in 1989. Hacienda Luisita is a plantation that was controlled by the then incumbent President Benigno Cojuangco Aquino III's family. The control and ownership of the plantation had been the center of a decades-long legal battle between the farmers and the Cojuangcos. The Central Bank and GSIS had endorsed the loans that allowed Jose Cojuangco to take control of the Hacienda in 1957, on the condition that the Hacienda was to be distributed eventually to the farmers under then President Magsaysay's social justice program. The Cojuangco group was given a ten-year window to distribute the lands to the farmers as stipulated. But the Cojuangco-Aquinos refused to honor their legal obligation to distribute the land. The Supreme Court also ordered that the date of the "taking" be fixed at November 21, 1989 rather than 2011, as the Aquinos argued, a ruling which cost the Aquinos billions of pesos (in just compensation). The Cojuangco-Aquinos, a very powerful political family, finally "lost" the land that was never theirs. Allies of President Benigno Aquino III pursued Corona's impeachment. A few months later, on December 12, 2011, the Chief Justice was
impeached Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...
by the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
. The impeachment and the Senate's guilty verdict were later described to be part of Aquino's revenge against the Chief Justice for the Supreme Court's Hacienda Luisita decision, a move that critics said was meant to have a "chilling effect" on anyone else who dared to oppose the administration and its allies. The Aquino administration gave the senator-judges between P50 to P100 million (fifty to one hundred million pesos) to convict the Chief Justice. The money used to bribe the congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint and the senator-judges who voted to convict were government funds the Aquino administration had misappropriated under the now-infamous "DAP" (Disbursement Acceleration Program). "The Aquino administration used P6.5 billion from the little-known Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) before, during and after the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona to bend Congress to its will, two members of the House of Representatives told the Inquirer." The Supreme Court later ruled that the DAP was unconstitutional. A retired chief justice said that because of the bribery involved, the removal of Chief Justice Corona is null and void.


The Hacienda Luisita Case

The Hacienda Luisita legal battle and final Supreme Court decision spanned almost fifty years. The Cojuangco-Aquinos refused to honor their legal obligation to distribute the land under the social justice program, as per the terms of the loan that allowed them to take over the Hacienda. Using their immense financial and political powers, the Cojuangco-Aquinos tried to wear down the poor farmers with the decades-long legal battle. On January 22, 1987, thousands of farmers marched to Malacañang Palace to demand the distribution of the land. 13 protesting farmers were shot in what is now known as the " Mendiola Massacre." On November 2004, the farmers held a protest against the mass retrenchment of farm workers. The farmers, their children and other protesters/supporters were gunned down, and farmers and activists have blamed the Aquinos for trying to silence them. This was called the " Hacienda Luisita Massacre."


The Fight for Judicial Independence

An attack of the Executive and Legislative branches on the Judicial branch, a co-equal branch of government: The death of the principle of separation of powers When the House of Representatives impeached the Chief Justice at the behest of former President Benigno Cojuangco Aquino after the Supreme Court's Hacienda Luisita decision, the move was seen as an attack on the judiciary. In fact, there was overwhelming evidence produced later that former President Benigno Aquino threatened and bribed the Legislative branch to collude with him. The Aquino administration gave the senator-judges between P50 to P100 million (fifty to one hundred million pesos) to convict the Chief Justice. The money used to bribe the congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint and the senator-judges who voted to convict were government funds the Aquino administration had misappropriated under the now-infamous "DAP" (Disbursement Acceleration Program). "The Aquino administration used P6.5 billion from the little-known Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) before, during and after the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona to bend Congress to its will, two members of the House of Representatives told the Inquirer." During the Chief Justice's Fight for Judicial Independence, the judiciary and other Filipino patriots rallied to support him. From December through May, supporters of the Chief Justice held daily vigils and non-denominational services. Farmers of Hacienda Luisita, who hailed the Chief Justice as the "Champion of Agrarian Reform," and other supporters camped out with their placards outside the Supreme Court in solidarity with the judiciary as their Chief fought for the integrity and autonomy of the judiciary.


Background

Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona was born on October 15, 1948, at the Lopez Clinic in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines. He was the son of Juan M. Corona, a lawyer from
Tanauan, Batangas Tanauan, officially the City of Tanauan ( fil, Lungsod ng Tanauan), is a 2nd class component city in the province of Batangas, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 193,936 people. It is incorporated as a city und ...
, and Eugenia Ongcapin Coronado of Santa Cruz, Manila. He was married to Cristina Basa Roco. They had three children and six grandchildren.


Education

Corona graduated with gold medal honors from the Ateneo de Manila grade school in 1962 and high school in 1966. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, also from Ateneo de Manila, in 1970, where he was the editor-in-chief of '' The GUIDON'', the university student newspaper. He finished his
Bachelor of Laws Bachelor of Laws ( la, Legum Baccalaureus; LL.B.) is an undergraduate law degree in the United Kingdom and most common law jurisdictions. Bachelor of Laws is also the name of the law degree awarded by universities in the People's Republic of Ch ...
at the Ateneo Law School in 1974. He placed 25th out of 1,965 candidates in the
bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
with a grade of 84.6%. After pursuing law studies, he obtained his
Master of Business Administration A Master of Business Administration (MBA; also Master's in Business Administration) is a postgraduate degree focused on business administration. The core courses in an MBA program cover various areas of business administration such as accounti ...
degree at the Ateneo Professional Schools. In 1981, he was accepted to the
Master of Laws A Master of Laws (M.L. or LL.M.; Latin: ' or ') is an advanced postgraduate academic degree, pursued by those either holding an undergraduate academic law degree, a professional law degree, or an undergraduate degree in a related subject. In mo ...
program of the
Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each c ...
, where he focused on foreign investment policies and the regulation of corporate and financial institutions. He was conferred the degree LL.M. in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Civil Law degree from the
University of Santo Tomas The University of Santo Tomas (also known as UST and officially as the Pontifical and Royal University of Santo Tomas, Manila) is a private, Catholic research university in Manila, Philippines. Founded on April 28, 1611, by Spanish friar Migue ...
,
summa cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sou ...
and was the class valedictorian.


As Chief Justice

On May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 general election and a month before President
Gloria Macapagal Arroyo Maria Gloria Macaraeg Macapagal Arroyo (, born April 5, 1947), often referred to by her initials GMA, is a Filipino academic and politician serving as one of the House Deputy Speakers since 2022, and previously from 2016 to 2017. She previously ...
's term expired, Corona was appointed the 23rd
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines The chief justice of the Philippines ( fil, Punong Mahistrado ng Pilipinas) presides over the Supreme Court of the Philippines and is the highest judicial officer of the government of the Philippines. As of April 5, 2021, the position is cu ...
, succeeding
Reynato Puno Reynato Puno y Serrano, KGCR ( Filipino: ''Reynato Serrano Puno''; born May 17, 1940) is a Filipino jurist. He served as the 22nd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from December 8, 2006 by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo un ...
who had reached the mandatory age of retirement. His appointment was highly criticized, notably by then presidential candidate
Benigno Aquino III Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
and former President Fidel V. Ramos, due to a constitutional prohibition against Arroyo from making appointments two months before the election up to the end of her term. Before being elected president, Aquino said that he will not recognize any chief justice appointment that will be made by the Arroyo administration, and mentioned impeachment as an option to remove him by saying "The legislature has the power of impeachment if they feel there are grounds to impeach an impeachable constitutional body. That is open to any president... Therefore we will have to restudy the matter, study our options. At this point in time Congress has yet to be elected." However, an earlier Supreme Court decision in ''Arturo M. De Castro v. Judicial and Bar Council, et al.'' on March 17, 2010, upheld Arroyo's right as incumbent president to appoint the Chief Justice. Voting 9–1, the high tribunal underscored that the 90-day period for the President to fill the vacancy in the Supreme Court is a special provision to establish a definite mandate for the President as the appointing power and that the election ban on appointments does not extend to the Supreme Court. Corona abstained from ruling on the case together with Chief Justice Puno and Associate Justice Antonio Carpio while Associate Justices Antonio Eduardo Nachura and Presbitero Velasco, Jr. dismissed the petition as premature. Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, in her dissenting opinion, stressed that the Court can function effectively during the midnight appointments ban without an appointed Chief Justice. Senator Miriam Defensor Santiago, a constitutional expert, warned critics of the Corona's appointment to obey the rule of law, saying that the appointment of Corona has already been laid to rest under the doctrine of ''res judicata'', meaning that it can no longer be relitigated in court, because it has already been decided with finality. Further stating that "After the Supreme Court decision in ''De Castro v. Judicial and Bar Council'' last March, which settled the issue, any petition is now precluded, on the theory of so-called collateral estoppel," She also commented that "The problem with the critics is that they mistake the law as it is; with the law as it ought to be, according to their layman's interpretation. A line has to be drawn between the rule of law and the dystopian concept of freewheeling ethics,"


Doctoral degree controversy

As part of the well-orchestrated and well-funded attack on the Chief Justice, on December 22, 2011, Marites Dañguilan Vitug of the now defunct and highly discredited online "journalism" site ''
Rappler Rappler (portmanteau of the words "rap" and "ripple") is a Filipino online news website based in Pasig, Metro Manila, the Philippines. It was founded by 2021 Nobel Peace Prize laureate Maria Ressa along with a group of fellow Filipino journali ...
'', which was shut down by a unanimous decision of the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for violating the constitutional provision banning foreign ownership in media >
, published an article alleging that the University of Santo Tomas (UST) "may have broken its rules" in granting Corona a doctorate in civil law and qualifying him for honors. Vitug's allegations were later exposed as part of a large-scale black propaganda campaign against the Chief Justice. Vitug, Rappler, and Maria Ressa, Rappler's CEO, have been discredited since Ressa was convicted of libel, a decision the Court of Appeals upheld, ruling that Ressa "did not offer a scintilla of proof that they verified the imputations of various crimes in the disputed article ... applerjust simply published them as news in their online publication in reckless disregard of whether they are false or not.". The judgement also pointed out that Ressa had deliberately called herself an executive editor, rather than the editor-in-chief, in an attempt to avoid liability. In a statement, the UST Graduate School denied that it broke its rules to favor Corona. It added that Corona had enrolled in all of the requisite subjects leading to the doctorate, attended his classes, passed them and delivered a "scholarly treatise" for his dissertation in a public lecture. UST said that since it has been declared by the Commission on Higher Education as an "autonomous higher educational institution (HEI)" it thus enjoys an institutional academic freedom to set its standards of quality and excellence and determine to whom it shall confer appropriate degrees. It added that issues about Corona's residency and academic honor received were moot because these come under the institutional academic freedom of the university. UST likewise questioned the objectivity of the article citing that Vitug has had a run-in with Corona and the Supreme Court. Vitug supported Associate Justice Antonio Carpio's bid for the chief justiceship in her articles in ''Rogue'' and ''Newsbreak''.


Impeachment

On December 12, 2011, 188 of the 285 members of the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
signed an impeachment complaint against Corona. As only a vote of one-third of the entire membership of the House, or 95 signatures, were necessary for the impeachment of Corona under the 1987 Constitution, the complaint was sent to the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
for trial. Corona was accused of consistently ruling with partiality to former President Arroyo in cases involving her administration and of failing to disclose his statement of assets as required by the Constitution. However he argues that he was not required to disclose US$2.4 million because foreign deposits are guaranteed secrecy under the Philippine's Foreign Currency Deposits Act (Republic Act No. 6426) and that the
peso The peso is the monetary unit of several countries in the Americas, and the Philippines. Originating in the Spanish Empire, the word translates to "weight". In most countries the peso uses the same sign, "$", as many currencies named " doll ...
accounts are co-mingled funds. Corona said that the case against him was politically motivated as part of President Benigno Aquino III's persecution of political enemies. On May 29, 2012, he was found guilty by the Senate of Article II of the Articles of Impeachment filed against him for his failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth. Twenty out of twenty-three senators voted to convict him. A two-thirds majority, or 16 votes, was necessary to convict and remove Corona from office. Corona responded by declaring that "ugly politics prevailed" and his "conscience is clear." This marked the first time that a high-level Philippine official has been impeached and convicted. Senator Joker Arroyo denounced the verdict, ending his statement with "I cannot imagine removing a Chief Justice on account of a SALN. Today, we are one step from violating the constitution and passing a bill of attainder. No one can stop us if we do not stop ourselves. This is not justice – political or legal. This is certainly not law, for sure it is not the law of the constitution. It is only naked power as it was in 1972. I haven't thought that I would see it again so brazenly performed but for what it is worth, I cast my vote. If not for innocence falsely accused, of offenses yet to exist, and if not for the law and the constitution, that we were privileged to restore under Cory Aquino, then because it is dangerous not to do what is right. When soon we stand before the Lord, I vote to acquit". Senator
Pia Cayetano Pilar Juliana Schramm Cayetano KGCR (born March 22, 1966), known as Pia Cayetano, is a Filipina politician and lawyer serving as a Senator since 2019, a position she previously held from 2004 to 2016. She was also the Representative of Tagui ...
explained her vote by stating that "the failure to declare $2.4 million and some 80 million pesos is not minor." In his September 25, 2013, privilege speech, Jinggoy Estrada, one of the senators who voted to convict Corona of article two of the articles of impeachment, said that all senators, except Bongbong Marcos, Joker Arroyo and Miriam Defensor-Santiago, received ₱50 million each to remove Corona from office. On January 20, 2014, Senator Bong Revilla revealed that President Aquino spoke with him to convict the Chief Justice.


Post-impeachment

On April 25, 2014, the Department of Justice issued a hold departure order against Corona along with former
Ilocos Sur Ilocos Sur, officially the Province of Ilocos Sur ( ilo, Probinsia ti Ilocos Sur; tl, Lalawigan ng Ilocos Sur), is a province in the Philippines located in the Ilocos Region in Luzon. Located on the mouth of the Mestizo River is the capital ...
Governor Luis "Chavit" Singson. In June 2016, the
Sandiganbayan The Sandiganbayan ( en, Support of the Nation) is a special appellate collegial court in the Philippines that has jurisdiction over criminal and civil cases involving graft and corrupt practices and other offenses committed by public office ...
Third Division dismissed the pending criminal cases of Corona after his death.


Death

Corona died on April 29, 2016, at 1:48 a.m. at The Medical City in
Pasig Pasig, officially the City of Pasig ( fil, Lungsod ng Pasig), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the National Capital Region of the Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 803,159 people. It is located along the ...
due to complications of a
heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which ma ...
. He also suffered from
kidney disease Kidney disease, or renal disease, technically referred to as nephropathy, is damage to or disease of a kidney. Nephritis is an inflammatory kidney disease and has several types according to the location of the inflammation. Inflammation can ...
and
diabetes Diabetes, also known as diabetes mellitus, is a group of metabolic disorders characterized by a high blood sugar level ( hyperglycemia) over a prolonged period of time. Symptoms often include frequent urination, increased thirst and increased ...
.


Notable opinions

*
Islamic Da'Wah Council v. Office of the Executive Secretary (2003)
' — on right of national government to act as the exclusive authority to issue
halal ''Halal'' (; ar, حلال, ) is an Arabic word that translates to "permissible" in English. In the Quran, the word ''halal'' is contrasted with '' haram'' (forbidden). This binary opposition was elaborated into a more complex classification k ...
certifications *
Republic v. Sandiganbayan (2003)
' — on the forfeiture of
Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri *Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia *Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports * Swiss Internation ...
assets of the Marcos family *
Francisco v. House of Rep. (2003) - Separate Opinion
' — on the
impeachment Impeachment is the process by which a legislative body or other legally constituted tribunal initiates charges against a public official for misconduct. It may be understood as a unique process involving both political and legal elements. In ...
resolution against Chief Justice Hilario Davide, Jr. *
Uy v. PHELA Trading (2005)
' — on constitutional right to counsel *
Taruc v. De la Cruz (2005)
' — on court jurisdiction over challenges to religious
excommunication Excommunication is an institutional act of religious censure used to end or at least regulate the communion of a member of a congregation with other members of the religious institution who are in normal communion with each other. The purpose ...
*
Neypes v. Court of Appeals (2005)
' — on period for
appeal In law, an appeal is the process in which cases are reviewed by a higher authority, where parties request a formal change to an official decision. Appeals function both as a process for error correction as well as a process of clarifying and ...
from decisions of trial courts *
Lambino v. COMELEC (2006) - Dissenting Opinion
' — on People's Initiative as a mode to amend the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these pr ...


References


External links


Was Corona Honest?: An Interactive Properties Map of Chief Justice Renato Corona's Asset Declarations
o
Rappler.com

Special Coverage of the Corona Trial on Rappler.com

Justice Renato C. Corona (Official Supreme Court Webpage)

Corona is next SC chief, www.mb.com.ph 12 May 2010The Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Renato C. CoronaChief Justice Renato C. Corona's Answer to the Impeachment ComplaintThe Corona Impeachment: A Breakdown by The CenSEI ReportAfter 5 Weeks, 45 Titles, 10 Accounts, and One Small LadyCorona's Defense Goes on the OffensiveJudging the Chief Justice: A Recapitulation by The CenSEI ReportThe Manila Times: Legal conundrums in the impeachment trial
, - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Corona, Renato 1948 births 2016 deaths Arroyo administration cabinet members Associate Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Ateneo de Manila University alumni Burials at The Heritage Park Chief justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Presidential chiefs of staff (Philippines) Filipino educators 20th-century Filipino lawyers Harvard Law School alumni Impeached Filipino officials Impeached officials removed from office People from Marikina People from Santa Ana, Manila University of Santo Tomas alumni 21st-century Filipino judges