now-infamous "DAP" (Disbursement Acceleration Program). "The Aquino administration used P6.5 billion from the little-known Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) before, during and after the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona to bend Congress to its will, two members of the House of Representatives told the Inquirer." During the Chief Justice's Fight for Judicial Independence, the judiciary and other Filipino patriots rallied to support him. From December through May, supporters of the Chief Justice held daily vigils and non-denominational services. Farmers of Hacienda Luisita, who hailed the Chief Justice as the "Champion of Agrarian Reform," and other supporters camped out with their placards outside the Supreme Court in solidarity with the judiciary as their Chief fought for the integrity and autonomy of the judiciary. Background Renato Tereso Antonio Coronado Corona was born on October 15, 1948, at the Lopez Clinic in Santa Ana, Manila, Philippines. He was the son of Juan M. Corona, a lawyer from Tanauan, Batangas, and Eugenia Ongcapin Coronado of Santa Cruz, Manila. He was married to Cristina Basa Roco. They had three children and six grandchildren. Education Corona graduated with gold medal honors from the Ateneo de Manila grade school in 1962 and high school in 1966. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree, with honors, also from Ateneo de Manila, in 1970, where he was the editor-in-chief of The GUIDON, the university student newspaper. He finished his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo Law School in 1974. He placed 25th out of 1,965 candidates in the bar examination with a grade of 84.6%. After pursuing law studies, he obtained his Master of Business Administration degree at the Ateneo Professional Schools. In 1981, he was accepted to the Master of Laws program of the Harvard Law School, where he focused on foreign investment policies and the regulation of corporate and financial institutions. He was conferred the degree LL.M. in 1982. He earned his Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Santo Tomas, summa cum laude and was the class valedictorian. As Chief Justice On May 12, 2010, two days after the 2010 general election and a month before President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo's term expired, Corona was appointed the 23rd Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, succeeding Reynato Puno who had reached the mandatory age of retirement. His appointment was highly criticized, notably by then presidential candidate Benigno Aquino III and former