In a surprising twist, the estranged relatives of Mrs. Cristina Corona were seen embracing her at the Senate gallery while her husband Chief Justice Renato Corona was on the witness stand to continue his testimony at his impeachment trial Friday.
Mrs. Corona approached members of the Basa family, with whom she has been feuding with for years, and hugged them while the impeachment trial of her husband went on a break.
Members of the Basa family then approached the chief justice and hugged him one by one.
Chief Justice Renato Corona's wife Cristina gets a hug from her estranged cousin during the impeachment trial Friday. GMA News
It was not clear, however, what they talked about after the apparent gesture of reconciliation. Mrs. Corona was seen chatting animatedly with the Basas on national television.
The Basa family feud came to public attention during Corona’s impeachment trial after the chief justice declared an P11-million loan from the Basa Guidote Enterprises Inc (BGEI) in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs).
In an unexpected twist to the Corona impeachment trial on Friday, Carmen Basa (center) and Cristina Corona (right) patch up their families' long-standing feud over a real estate property in Manila.
During the trial, former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza testified that the city’s government purchased a BGEI land for P34.7 million.
The defense claimed that the amount was deposited in Corona’s bank account and was not reflected in his SALN because it was owned by the BGEI.
Cousins-in-law of the chief justice had disputed the chief magistrate’s testimony that their deceased father, Jose Maria Basa III, caused the long-running disputes within their family.
Carmen Basa, cousin of Corona’s wife Cristina, said Corona “maligned” and “slandered” the name of her dead father in Tuesday’s session of his own impeachment trial last Tuesday. Corona had characterized the older Basa as a "spoiled brat" who never held a job.
Carmen Basa’s father is the brother of Mrs. Corona’s mother, Asuncion.
“To hear the chief justice was one of the most painful moments in our lives. Our father was an honorable man who strongly believed in the justice system,” Basa said at a press briefing.
She also maintained that Mrs. Corona was the one who “stole the company from its legitimate owners.”
Cristina Corona (center), wife of Chief Justice Renato Corona, poses with members of the Basa family at the Senate gallery on Friday after they have reconciled their long standing feud over a real estate property.
Corona testified in his impeachment trial Tuesday to rebut the impeachment charges against him. Lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas said he still wanted to conduct direct examination when Corona suddenly left the Senate session hall after delivering a nearly three-hour opening statement.
The chief justice was confined at The Medical City in Pasig where doctors monitored his health to examine him for a possible heart attack following his supposed episode of hypoglycemia, or low blood sugar level after he rose from the witness stand. — with Kimberly Jane Tan/LBG/VVP/HS, GMA News
