Accused of gun-poking in 1997, CJ owns 31 firearms

MANILA, Philippines - President Aquino shares a passion with Chief Justice Renato Corona: collecting guns.

Records of the Philippine National Police (PNP) Firearms and Explosives Office showed that Corona owns revolvers, high-powered machine guns, and even a vintage Winchester popularized by American cowboys in the 19th century.

The records were unearthed after inquiries were made by GMA News at Camp Crame about reports that the Chief Justice has a personal armory.

Accused of pointing a gun at a property caretaker during a family dispute in 1997, Corona owns 31 licensed firearms, a GMA News report said.

Although he admitted in a series of interviews by the television network that he owned the guns, Corona denied the gun-poking charge contained in an affidavit signed by 83-year-old Pedro Aguilon.

In one of the interviews, Corona also belied a claim by Ana Basa, a first cousin of his wife Cristina, of alleged physical threat and his cheating the rest of his clan of the collectively owned property and other assets.

Corona said the millions in cash that he had in bank accounts shown during his impeachment trial were “proceeds from the sale of family property.”

Mrs. Corona, he said, was the administrator of the family properties under the corporation Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. set up by her grandparents in the 1960s. ?Aguilon said he maintained a small home in Sampaloc, Manila owned by the family.

In his affidavit, Aguilon stated that “the Corona couple had his home demolished in January 1997 without warning, and Renato Corona, then a presidential legal counsel in the Ramos administration, pointed a gun at him while saying, “Baka, gusto mong pasabugin kita.”

PNP records ?

But PNP records showed that the first two of Corona’s licensed guns were registered only in late 1997 -- .38-caliber and .22-caliber revolvers.

In all, under his name, the Chief Justice has 18 pistols, six revolvers, two machine pistols, two shotguns, one submachine, one high-powered rifle, a carbine, an Uzi, a Beretta, and a Glock, all leading gun brands. 

The PNP reported that licenses of all the firearms have already expired except for two: a .380-caliber pistol (Lic. No. 374-2900), which expires on Oct. 15, 2015; and a 9mm machine pistol (T0624-07V0060978), which expires on Oct. 15, 2014.

It was not immediately known whether the expired licenses have been renewed or the ownership had been transferred, the GMA News report said.?Asked for comment on Corona’s guns, lawyer Ramon Esguerra, his counsel in the ongoing Senate impeachment trial, told GMA News Online that he was “not aware” of the firearms of his client.

Guns should be declared in SALN

Meanwhile, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, chairman of the Senate committee on civil service and government reorganization and a senator-judge in Corona’s impeachment trial, said even firearms should be declared in one’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

“What is required is the aggregate amount of all personal properties of significant value such as jewelry, watches, appliances, furniture, etc. Although not specifically required, it should include firearms,” Trillanes said.

A check with Corona’s SALNs in the last decade showed that until 2005, Corona had been declaring his “cash investment and jewelry” under “personal and other properties,” a GMA report said.

A summary of Renato Corona’s 31 guns with corresponding serial numbers: 

.45-cal revolver (DAN1906) 

.38-cal revolver (A40241)

.22-cal revolver (CJS2753)

.38-cal revolver (88676)

.22-cal revolver (145560)

.22-cal revolver (UD93691)

 .32-cal pistol (DAA096492)

.380-cal pistol (374-29000)

.45-cal pistol (748851)

.45-calpistol (1678782)

.22-cal pistol (1948)

.45-cal pistol (92456B70)

.9mm pistol (AS335)

.40-cal pistol (DLB531)

.45-cal pistol M37 (GDV758)

.40-cal pistol (QL1431)

.45-cal pistol (RK6887)

.45-cal pistol (SN24969E)

.45-cal pistol (WF3557)

.45-cal pistol (BL32370)

.45-cal pistol (DHZ878)

.45-cal pistol (KPA11832)

 .45-cal frame (BL31184)

.45-cal frame (PG005068)

 9mm machine pistol (T0624-07V0060978)

9mm machine pistol (SR01121)

 12GA shotgun (M450399)

12GA shotgun (RC101548)

 9mm submachine gun MK9 (P0580)

 556 high-powered rifle (4951938)

 30-cal carbine (7243757)

Source: PNP Firearms and Explosives Office