Meet CJ Corona

Renato C. Corona (born October 15, 1948) is the 23rd and current Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines. He was appointed to the Court on April 9, 2002 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. On May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 elections and a month before Arroyo's term expired, Corona was appointed the 23rd Chief Justice of the Philippines, succeeding Reynato Puno who had reached the mandatory age of retirement. Corona was impeached by the House of Representative on December 12, 2011.

Education

Corona graduated with gold medal honors from the Ateneo de Manila Grade School in 1962, and from the Ateneo de Manila High School in 1966. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, also from Ateneo de Manila University, in 1970, graduating with honors. While in college, was the editor-in-chief of The Guidon, the student-run university newspaper of the Ateneo, and also was secretary-general of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines from 1968 to 1970. He also lead the overall champion team of the 1970 Annual Debating Tournament of the Ateneo School of Arts and Sciences.
Corona passed the bar examination in 1974 and ranked as the 25th place with 84.6% grade. He then served 17 years as an Ateneo faculty member, where he taught Corporation Law and other commercial law subjects.

Corona earned his law degree at the Ateneo de Manila Law School, where he would serve as a member of the faculty for 17 years. He also received a Master of Laws degree from Harvard Law School in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Civil Law degree, summa cum laude, from the University of Santo Tomas Graduate School in 2011.

Career

Early in his career, Corona served as special counsel at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He later became senior vice-president and general counsel of the Commercial Bank of Manila, and later a senior officer of the Tax and Corporate Counseling Group of the Tax Division of Sycip Gorres Velayo & Co. (SGV & Co.), the country's largest multidisciplinary professional services firm.

Corona also writes for The Manila Chronicle. His column was called “Tax Corner” where he deals with tax and commercial law issues. In 1998, he received the Philippine Legion of Honor Award and was once called one of the Outstanding Manilans.

In 1992, Corona joined the administration of President Fidel V. Ramos as Assistant Executive Secretary for Legal Affairs, and concurrently served as head of the MalacaƱang Legal Office. In 1994, he was promoted to Deputy Executive Secretary and later Chief Presidential Legal Counsel and member of the Cabinet. In 1998, President Ramos awarded him the Philippine Legion of Honor medal, with the rank of officer.

In 1998, Corona became the chief of staff and spokesperson of then Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. When Arroyo assumed the presidency in 2001, Corona became the Presidential Chief of Staff.

Supreme Court

Associate Justice

He was appointed to the Court on April 9, 2002 by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.
Chief Justice

On May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 elections and a month before Arroyo's term expired, Corona was appointed the 23rd Chief Justice of the Philippines, succeeding Reynato Puno who had reached the mandatory age of retirement.

On December 12, 2011, 188 members of the House of Representatives signed an impeachment complaint against Corona. As only 95 signatures were necessary for the impeachment of Corona by the House of Representatives under the Constitution, the impeachment complaint was to be transmitted to the Senate for trial.