They'd make every parent proud

The Corona Impeachment Trial is expected to come to a conclusion this afternoon. The verdict — to impeach or acquit the Chief Justice — comes after 40 days of evidences and testimonies presented at the hearing, with the prosecution and defense panels showing brilliant, and sometimes frustrating, and sometimes, embarrassing, discourses. Those were 40 days of blood, sweat and tears for part of a public (not everyone has shown interest in the dramatic, historical event of convicting or acquitting the highest magistrate of the land) that wants truth and justice to be out. To be sure, his conviction will be seen as a triumph for President Benigno Aquino III whose priority concern is to pave the way for reforms, and Chief Justice Corona has been in the way of getting there. On the other hand, another sector sees the conviction to mark the dawn of a dictatorship, where there will be no stopping the leadership from pursuing what he wants done, without checks and balances.

With every brilliant columnist writing about the outcome of the trial, let me just point to the dramatic episode that occurred in the Senate Friday last week. This was about the “reconciliation” of the Basa children with the Chief Justice and his wife, Cristina.

For brief reminders, bad feelings between the Coronas and Basas had festered for 30 years. As reports have it, the feud sprang within the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI), a small family corporation, over the sale of a 1,079.7 sq.m. property to the Manila government. Ana Basa, a niece of Mrs. Corona, said in an interview that when her grandfather (a Basa), died, her grandmother, Rosario Guidote-Basa, set up the family corporation instead of dividing the Basa estate among her children. The children became the original incorporators - among them Jose Maria Basa III, Ana’s father, and Asuncion Basa-Roco, Cristina Roco-Corona’s mother.

The Basa brothers and sisters accordingly entrusted BGEI to Asuncion as corporate secretary and her husband, lawyer Vicente Roco, as president even if Asuncion was a minority stockholder. By the 1980s, Vicente Roco entrusted BGEI to Cristina, by then married to Renato C. Corona, a lawyer, as administrator. For some reason, BGEI was in trouble, so SEC revoked its registration on May 26, 2003.

Ana related that Cristina did not show the BGEI book and records to the stockholders and ignored the board. Two original stockholders who are still living and the heirs of those who had died were shocked by revelations about BGEI in the impeachment trial of Corona.

In 2001, the Manila government bought the BGEI lot at P34,000 per sq.m. with then Mayor Lito Atienza and Cristina Corona as principal signatories of the deeds of sole. Corona negotiated the sale as there was no consent of the stockholders, with the check issued in the name of Cristina Corona.

BGEI got into the impeachment trial when, upon questioning about his bank accounts, the CJ said the bulk of his funds are owned by his wife’s family corporation, and so he did not include these in his SALNS (Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Networth).

In his appearance before the senator/judges, last Tuesday, Chief Justice Corona referred to the late Jose Maria Basa III as having started the feud within their family. Although I had not personally heard him on television say it, Corona was said to refer to the deceased Basa III as a “spoiled brat” who never had to work for a living.

This deprecatory reference to her father made Carmen Basa call for a press conference in which she said her father had been a graduate of a university in the US, had applied his agricultural training in raising a farm, and served as a consultant to the Philippine military. But because of the feud with the Coronas, he and his wife Raymunda left for the United States. Their children have also been living there, but came to Manila to attend the impeachment hearing.

With some of them in tears while Corona heaped mud on their father, the Basas nonetheless kept silent even after his walkout when they could have exulted over the spectacle of Corona and his counsels being given a dressing down by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile over his attempted “great escape.”

The next day, a Wednesday, after learning the Chief Justice had not shown up for the hearing, the Basas held a press conference. They recited values that are sublime, like continuing their dearly departed father’s quest for justice.

There was hardly rancor in the hearts of the Basa children when they said, through Carmen, that they wanted closure for the long-running feud, that they only wanted the best for the Coronas.

“Despite our differences, we continue to pray for Cristina, the Chief Justice and his family and hope they will find peace and comfort in finally putting these issues to rest,” said Carmen.

Ana, the first among the Basas to break their silence on the use of Corona of BGEI to justify his wealth, stressed that whatever the outcome of the cases, there will not be victory for anyone because of the “so much pain and suffering the feud has caused.”

 Last Friday, the hearing continued, with the Chief Justice answering the senator/judges’ queries. During the break, a drama took place. The Coronas reconciled.

Former Antique Gov. Sally Zaldivar Perez told me she had gone early morning of Friday to her hairdresser. “I usually go to the Senate at 10, but that morning, I took my time. I went to the parlor. I heard one of the Basa girls say on the radio, she was praying for the speedy recovery of the Chief. Aba, totoo ba ito? I went home, opened to ANC. One of the girls said the Basa family was willing to reconcile with the Coronas. Totoo ba ito? Okay, I cancelled my appointment with my doctor scheduled for 1 o clock. I called Baby Nebrida, a best friend or classmate of Tina, and told her what I heard on the radio and television. We agreed to attend the hearing that afternoon.

“The Chief arrived, he was looking very weak. Days before, that was Tuesday, the Basas and Coronas, seated on separate sections of the gallery, were looking at each other with dagger eyes.

“During the beak, Baby said I should go to Tina. I did, I told Tina, who was with her daughter Karla and grandson, that the girls wanted a reconciliation. On the other side, Betsy Basa Tenchavez, an aunt of the girls, and Baby, talked to the girls. They talked in whispers. In the meantime, I told Tina, ‘You’re the wife of the Chief Justice. Nahihiya silang lumapit sa yo.’ Go to them. At first Tina was hesitant. Then one Basa girl said, ‘I just want to hug Tina.’ Tina must have heard this. Derederecho si Tina towards the girls, and then they were all embracing each other. Someone from the gallery shouted, ‘Reconciliation! Palakpakan sila. The senators were not there.

“The Chief did not know what was happening. But he smiled at the girls who went to the witness stand. They hugged. There was crying. It was a beautiful sight. The Basa boy, Eric, came to me, and said, ‘Ma’am, thank you for doing this for my family.’

“Parang may nagtulak sa akin na gawin yon. I got interested in having the parties reconcile,” Sally said. “This is an act of God.”

Jose Basa III must have looked with gladness at the scene in the afternoon of May 25, 2012 in the Senate. For their forgiving “long-lost” relatives, their children make their parents proud.

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