'Did Burgundy president evade impeachment trial?'

MANILA, Philippines - Did Burgundy Realty Corp. president Rogelio Serafica deliberately try to evade the Senate proceedings at the height of the impeachment trial to avoid being placed on the spot?

This question cropped up yesterday as the prosecution and defense panel put to question the credibility and authority of Burgundy vice president Gregg Gregonia before the witness stand in connection with the unit owned by Chief Justice Renato Corona at the One Burgundy condominium in Loyola Heights, Quezon City.

Serafica’s flight triggered more questions than answers even after Burgundy’s counsel filed an ex-parte motion to the court, and amid concerns of his alleged connections with another famous tenant of the condominium – former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Burgundy’s counsel urged the court to allow Gregonia to stand as a witness instead of Serafica.

The lawyers noted the court has issued a subpoena directing Serafica to produce the documents in relation to the sale of the condominium unit at Burgundy Plaza to the Corona couple.

“In compliance with the said subpoena, Mr. Serafica came on Jan. 19, the date of the trial where he tagged along the vice president of Burgundy, Mr. Gregg Gregonia, who is in charge of the custody of the said documents. He (Serafica) patiently waited until the adjournment of the Senate hearing on said date but he was not called to the witness stand,” the motion said.

“Considering that the officer in charge of the custody of the documents in the subpoena is not Mr. Serafica but the vice president of Burgundy, Mr. Gregonia and/or other personnel under the department, he (Serafica) should be dispensed with as a witness from attending and testifying in the hearing involving said documents,” it said.

The lawyers said Serafica was scheduled to leave for Hong Kong on a business trip on Jan. 23 even before the subpoena addressed to him was received by Burgundy.

Asked if Serafica could be evading the impeachment trial due to associations with the former president, a prosecutor said it could be seen that way.

“You can interpret it that way… who could not be close to the former president when everybody knows that she goes there (when she was still president) and she arrives in a chopper which lands at the rooftop of the Burgundy,” the prosecutor said.

Sources suggested a rather weird coincidence that Burgundy officials were quick to seek an ex-parte motion to excuse Serafica even as he suddenly departed for Hong Kong last week.

A copy of Serafica’s air ticket from Philippine Airlines showed that he was supposed to leave Manila last Jan. 23 at a time when the impeachment court was looking into the properties owned by Corona and his wife, and the apparent failure to declare some in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).

The PAL ticket bearing the passenger’s name Rogelio T. Serafica for a trip from Manila to Hong Kong on Jan. 23 at 8 a.m. was attached to the ex-parte motion.

Serafica’s flight was made known during last Thursday’s trial when private prosecutor Clarence Jandoc was questioning Gregonia on why he was attending the trial instead of Serafica, who was the subject of the subpoena.

Serafica could be held for contempt if it is proven that he intentionally fled to evade the impeachment proceedings, Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto said yesterday.

Sotto added that the contempt charges could be initiated if there is a complaint from another member of the Senate.