A TALE OF TWO SALNs

(Why the SALN issue against Former Chief Justice Corona

and Incumbent Chief Justice Sereno are NOT the same)

ALLEGATION VS. FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA ALLEGATION VS. INCUMBENT CHIEF JUSTICE SERENO

Alleged failure to disclose to the public his statement of No allegation at all of having hidden or ill-gotten wealth.
assets, liabilities and net worth as required by the All her assets are within her legal income.
Constitution, when some of his properties and bank
accounts with $2.4 million and P80 million deposits The allegation only pertains to supposed non-disclosure
were not included in his SALNs, in violation of anti-graftin her 2010 SALN of the legal fees she received from the
and corrupt practices act. Government for her successful representation in the
PIATCO arbitration cases between 2003 to 2008, before
Accused of having accumulated ill-gotten wealth, she was appointed to the SC.
acquiring assets of high values and keeping bank
accounts with huge deposits. Under Section 2 of R.A.
No. 1379, assets which are manifestly out of proportion
to a public official’s salary and other lawful income are
presumed prima facie to have been unlawfully acquired.

FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA: FACTS AND EVIDENCE INCUMBENT CHIEF JUSTICE SERENO: FACTS AND
EVIDENCE

Several resource persons, including Ombudsman Sereno earned P30 million, not P37 million as Gadon
Carpio-Morales, bank managers and then-BIR claims. She earned this over a 5-year period, from 2003
Commissioner Kim Henares, presented authentic to 2008, before she was appointed to the Supreme Court
documents that proved Corona owned as many as 40
properties and numerous bank accounts with huge
deposits which are patently disproportionate to his
lawful income which were not declared in his SALN.
FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA: FACTS AND EVIDENCE
Corona himself admitted to the Impeachment Court
that he owned $2.4 million and P80 million in bank
deposits, which were disproportionate to his lawful
income, that he did not disclose in his SALN.
FORMER CHIEF JUSTICE CORONA:
Corona was convicted, in a vote of 20-3, by the
Impeachment Court, finding him guilty of the charge
under Article II of the Articles of Impeachment. He
deliberately excluded substantial assets, which are
beyond his legal income, from his SALN. In his closing
argument for the prosecution, Rep. Rodolfo Fariñas
repeatedly characterized as “palusot” Corona’s
explanation of how he accumulated his dollar deposits
in 2010 as Associate Justice. These fees are lawful,
obtained from the Government and for which the
corresponding taxes thereon were withheld and paid.
Since Sereno’s legal fees were paid by the Government,
they were definitely not ill-gotten or unexplained wealth.
Sereno truthfully disclosed all her assets, liabilities, and
net worth in her SALN.
INCUMBENT CHIEF JUSTICE SERENO: FACTS AND
EVIDENCE
Gadon admitted under oath that he had no authentic
records to back up his claims, which he merely based on
his own “mental calculation.” Gadon cannot point to any
undeclared ill-gotten asset which is not declared in
Sereno’s SALN.
INCUMBENT CHIEF JUSTICE SERENO:
Sereno has been properly and accurately declaring all
her assets in the SALN since she joined the Supreme
Court in 2010 and up to the present.
Taxes for income she earned as co-legal counsel in the
PIATCO cases from 2003-2008 had been withheld by the
appropriate Government agency and reflected in her tax
returns she filed with the BIR. She has paid all
and other assets. Rep. Fariñas also stated that Corona, applicable taxes on her legal fees. She has also fully
throughout his tenure in the Supreme Court, concealed declared and disclosed in her income tax returns from
from the public 98 percent of his total admitted cash 2004 to 2009 how much she had earned as legal fees in
assets, amounting to P180 million. the PIATCO cases.

Corona was subsequently removed from office following

his conviction.