Chief Justice Renato Corona

Chief Justice Renato Corona
Name	Renato Corona
Honorific prefix	Chief Justice
Caption	Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2011
Birth date	December 15, 1948
Birth place	Camiguin, Philippines
Death date	April 29, 2016
Death place	Manila, Philippines
Occupation	Jurist, lawyer, judge
Office	23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
Term start	May 17, 2010
Term end	May 29, 2012
Predecessor	Reynato Puno
Successor	Maria Lourdes Sereno

Chief Justice Renato Corona

Renato Corona was a Filipino jurist who served as the 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 2010 to 2012. His tenure intersected with presidencies of Benigno Aquino III and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, high-profile disputes involving the Senate of the Philippines, the House of Representatives of the Philippines, and national institutions including the Office of the Ombudsman (Philippines). Corona became the first Chief Justice in Philippine history to be impeached and removed by the Senate of the Philippines.

Early life and education

Corona was born in Camiguin on December 15, 1948, into a family with ties to Mindanao. He completed primary and secondary schooling before attending the University of Santo Tomas for preparatory studies and later transferred to San Beda College where he earned his law degree. He passed the Philippine Bar Examination and began legal work that connected him with figures such as Ferdinand Marcos, Imelda Marcos, and members of the Philippine judiciary and Philippine legal profession including Claudio Teehankee and Manuel Roxas II. His legal education and early clerkships brought him into contact with institutions like the Department of Justice (Philippines), the Office of the Solicitor General (Philippines), and law firms active in Metro Manila.

Legal and judicial career

Corona's early career included private practice and advisory roles involving corporate clients such as San Miguel Corporation, Ayala Corporation, and Aboitiz Equity Ventures. He served as legal counsel to agencies like the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas and regulatory bodies including the Securities and Exchange Commission (Philippines). Appointed to the Court of Appeals of the Philippines by Corazon Aquino, he later rose through judicial ranks with assignments touching on cases related to Philippine National Oil Company, Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, and high-profile criminal and civil dockets involving figures such as Juan Ponce Enrile and Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.

He was appointed Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines by Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2002, joining colleagues including Reynato Puno, Antonio Carpio, Presbitero J. Velasco Jr., and Teresita de Castro. His opinions covered constitutional questions arising from the Constitution of the Philippines (1987), disputes before the Commission on Elections (Philippines), and litigation involving the Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism, the Commission on Audit (Philippines), and the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

Appointment as Chief Justice

In May 2010, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo appointed Corona as Chief Justice, succeeding Reynato Puno. The appointment sparked reactions from political actors including Benigno Aquino III, leaders of the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Senate of the Philippines, and civil society groups such as Kaisa-sa Pamilya at Lipunan and Bayan Muna. Media organizations including ABS-CBN Corporation, GMA Network, and the Philippine Daily Inquirer extensively covered the confirmation process. Legal commentators from institutions like the Ateneo de Manila University and the University of the Philippines Diliman debated issues of judicial independence and executive prerogative as articulated under the Judicial and Bar Council (Philippines) and the 1987 Constitution of the Philippines.

His investiture took place amid controversies involving Executive Order No. 1 style disputes, protocols of the Malacañang Palace, and public discourse featuring entities such as the Integrated Bar of the Philippines, the Council of Leaders of the Philippine Bar, and international observers from the International Commission of Jurists.

Impeachment and removal from office

In December 2011, the House of Representatives of the Philippines voted to impeach Corona on charges filed by lawmakers citing alleged failure to disclose assets to the Presidential Commission on Good Government standards and the Ombudsman of the Philippines investigations. The impeachment trial in the Senate of the Philippines became a focal point for politicians like Jinggoy Estrada, Juan Miguel Zubiri, and legal teams that included lawyers from the Office of the Solicitor General (Philippines), private counsel associated with Erin Tañada, and prosecutors aligned with the Camp of Benigno Aquino III.

Key issues at trial involved statements of assets, liabilities and net worth submitted to the Court of Appeals and Supreme Court Administrative Office, alleged conduct related to decisions on matters involving Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's amnesty and petitions stemming from the FBI-reported controversies and congressional inquiries into Presidential pardon matters. Media outlets such as Rappler, Philippine Star, and The Manila Times provided intensive coverage. On May 29, 2012, the Senate voted to convict, marking the first removal of a Chief Justice through impeachment in Philippine history; senators including Joker Arroyo and Franklin Drilon played notable roles in the proceedings.

Later life and legacy

After removal, Corona remained a polarizing figure in public discourse involving constitutional scholars from Ateneo Law School, UP College of Law, and commentators aligned with University of Santo Tomas legal circles. He returned to private life, associating with institutions such as law offices linked to Manuel M. Roxas II and civil organizations like Lawyers for Liberty and cultural groups in Metro Manila. His death on April 29, 2016, prompted statements from former colleagues including Maria Lourdes Sereno, members of the Supreme Court Bar Association, and national leaders such as Benigno Aquino III.

Corona's legacy continues to feature in debates within the Judicial Bar Council (Philippines), scholarship published by the Ateneo Law Journal and Philippine Law Journal, and retrospectives by media like ABS-CBN Corporation and GMA Network. His impeachment influenced subsequent appointments to the Supreme Court of the Philippines, reforms advocated by the Commission on Human Rights (Philippines), and analyses by international entities including the International Bar Association and the International Commission of Jurists.

Category:Chief Justices of the Supreme Court of the Philippines Category:1948 births Category:2016 deaths Category:Filipino judges