BLASTS CORONA FOR DICTATORSHIP TAG
MANILA, DECEMBER
15, 2011 (BULLETIN)
FIGHTING STANCE (PHOTO - The embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona, speaking
before justices and employees of the Supreme Court, answers point-by-point the
grounds for impeachment raised against him in Congress, Wednesday, December 14,
2011. He said he will not resign, but instead will fight it out before the
Senate impeachment court. (Photo by MICHAEL VARCAS)
BULLETIN)
MANILA, Philippines — Chief Justice Renato C. Corona said Wednesday afternoon
he will not resign as he pledged to lead the fight for the judiciary's freedom
and democracy under the rule of law. He vowed to fight against the curtailment
of democracy and the independence of the judiciary.
In his speech before a large group of court employees, most of them wearing
black clothes, Corona denied all the eight Articles of Impeachment filed against
him and signed by 188 congressmen and transmitted to the Senate for trial.
"I'm ready to face the trial. The allegations against me are baseless and
meant to blackmail me," said Corona speaking in Filipino, adding that his
impeachment is meant to create a "compliant court and was d one in haste."
"Hindi po tayo papayag na lapastanganin at alipustain ang demokrasya at ang
Korte Suprema," Corona said. (We will not allow them to besmirch and demean our
democracy and the Supreme Court.)
He said he will lead the fight against any effort to undermine the courts as
he rallied judges and court employees to join him in safeguarding the
constitutionally mandated independence of the judiciary.
Corona declared that he and the other SC justices will not resign their
posts. Earlier, there had been reports that two other justices appointed by
former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo would also be impeached.
Corona said the eight Articles of Impeachment may be classified into two
categories – complaints against his personal actuations and charges against his
performance of his official functions as Chief Justice.
One of the impeachment complaints stated that Corona has not been filing his
statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN).
But Corona said he has been filing his SALN every year with the SC's clerk of
court, a system devised since 1992.
He also said that his wife, Cristina, has been in government service long
before he was appointed to the SC in 2002.
The Chief Justice pointed out that under the administration of the incumbent
President, a husband and wife and their child have been appointed and are now
occupying top positions in government.
He said President Aquino has been lambasting him for being a midnight
appointee of former President Arroyo.
But he said his appointment as Chief Justice passed the rigorous process
before the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) and the issue of midnight appointment
had been passed upon by the SC.
If Mr. Aquino had a problem with his appointment as Chief Justice, the
President could have challenged it much earlier, he said.
Corona said the issue of midnight appointment is being resurrected merely to
undermine the confidence of the people in the judiciary.
And he said how could he refuse to accept the appointment as Chief Justice
considering that the post as head of the country's judiciary is a very noble and
honorable position in government.
Thus, he said, the criticisms against him being a midnight appointee are mere
efforts to besmirch his reputation and to taint the honor and integrity of the
judiciary, particularly the High Court.
The Chief Justice reiterated that all the decisions handed down by the SC
were arrived at through voting and his vote was only one of the votes of the 14
other members of the High Court.
"Mayroon po kaming tig-iisang boto, at ito po ay pantay-pantay. Ang aking
boto ay kapareho lamang ng boto ng pinakahuling naitalagang mahistrado. Ang
pwersa at bisa ng aking pananaw ay kapantay lamang ng pwersa at bisa ng pananaw
ng kahit sino mang mahistrado. Pantay-pantay po kaming lahat ditto," he
stressed. (Each of us has only one vote in deciding-making and each vote is
equal to each other. My vote is of the same value as the vote of the last
appointed magistrate. The force and effect of my opinion is the same as the
force and effect of any of the 14 other magistrates. We are all equal in the
courts.)
Corona he will face the impeachment trial before the Senate to prove to the
Filipino people that the charges against him were baseless.
At one point in his speech, he thanked his wife, Cristina, for supporting him
in his fight. He turned to Mrs. Corona and said emotionally: "Mahal na mahal
kita."
Corona also criticized the Aquino administration by pointing out the
country's slow-paced economy, lack of employment opportunities, poverty, and
hunger. "Mukhang hindi po niya naiintindihan," he said. (It appears that he (the
President) does not understand.)
"Wala po akong kasalanan sa inyo, Ginoong Pangulo. Wala po akong kasalanan sa
taong bayan," he said. (I did no wrong against you. I did no wrong against the
Filipino people.)
He then rallied members of the judiciary and the court employees to fight to
preserve the independence of the judiciary.
Court Administrator SC Spokesman Jose Midas P. Marquez clarified that he did
not call for a "court holiday" Wednesday.
He said efforts done by those who attended the gathering at the SC's yard did
that on their own.
Mandanas loses post
The backlash of snubbing the impeachment complaint against Corona hit the
chairman of the Committee on Ways and Means who was ousted Wednesday night.
Batangas Rep. Hermilando Mandanas, a member of the Liberal Party, was
stripped of his post and replaced by Davao City Rep. Isidro Ungab, another LP
member but not among the vice chairmen of the powerful committee. (With a report from Ben R. Rosario)
FROM THE TRIBUNE
Noy blasts CJ for dictator tag, tells Corona to take a leave
By Virgilio Bugaoisan 12/15/2011
Evidently unprepared and rattled by high court Chief Justice Renato
Corona's direct blasts at President Aquino yesterday and the popular support he
has from the judges and justices nationwide, the Chief Executive, through his
spokesman, Edwin Lacierda, said Corona had no right to call Aquino a looming
dictator as he called for the chief justice to go on leave and order the members
of the Judiciary to go back to work.
Lacierda, at a press briefing yesterday immediately after the CJ's speech,
called on him to take a leave of absence so as not to drag the whole Judiciary
into the raging impeachment storm that is now threatening to end his tenure and
give Aquino full discretion to install his own head magistrate.
Lacierda said it would be best if Corona takes a leave of absence for the
duration of his impeachment trial in the Senate to free the Judiciary from any
involvement in his case.
"I think it would be proper for him to take a leave considering that he is
undergoing trial
and he's trying to involve the entire judiciary in the impeachment case
against him," the spokesman said.
Malacañang also called on judiciary officials and personnel not to let
themselves be used by Corona who is trying to fend off impeachment charges for
alleged partiality and dishonesty, by avoiding a court holiday.
According to Lacierda, the "sudden declaration" of a court holiday Wednesday
"is yet another example of how justice can be subverted to further the interest
of one."
"If this is true, then one must ask if the judiciary is not being manipulated
into participating in one man's personal issues," he said in a statement sent to
reporters covering the Palace.
"We call on members of the judiciary not let themselves be used to further
the political agenda of one man and his patron," Lacierda said, in obvious
reference to Corona and former President GloriaArroyo, who appointed him and
promoted him to chief magistrate.
"We call on Chief Justice Corona, should he deny that a court holiday has
been declared, to order them back to work and let's not slow to a grinding halt
the wheels of justice," he added.
Lacierda lamented that court hearings for the Maguindanao massacre have been
cancelled yesterday, apparently to allow "court employees to attend a hastily
planned rally in support of Chief Justice Corona."
Lacierda also dismissed claims made by Corona that Aquino has become a
dictator because it is his family that was a victim of dictatorship during the
time of former President Ferdinand Marcos, father of Sen. Bongbong Marcos who
would be sitting as senator-judge in the impeachment trial.
"The whole speech a while ago was designed to identify President Aquino with
a dictatorship and I think he has no right to identify or to accuse President
Aquino of dictatorship. The Aquino family was a victim of the dictatorship in
the 70s and the 80s and… Let me—for the few times I will be asking to step aside
as a presidential spokesperson and to speak as a constitutional Law professor, "
said Lacierda. "With respect to the dictatorship, we had seen the opinions of
Chief Justice Claudio Teehankee. I have read the opinions of Chief Justice
Claudio Teehankee and I can tell you Chief Justice Corona, you are no Claudio
Teehankee," he said insultingly.
Lacierda said it is incorrect to claim that Aquino has metamorphosed into a
dictator because his only intention in striving to unseat Corona is to finally
remove all vestiges of the administration of former President Arroyo who is now
under hospital arrest for alleged electoral sabotage.
" What we are doing right now under the Aquino administration is trying to
dismantle the Arroyo apparatus, of trying to protect her from accountability. We
have done so. We have removed her—we have removed (her appointee from) the
Office of the Ombudsman. We have appointed men and women of unquestionable
integrity before the other constitutional commissions and we believe that Mr.
Corona is a stumbling block to our reforms," Lacierda said adding that the
former Chief Justice should already refrain from issuing statements about his
case and just explain his side before the Senate.
"The charges will stick; the evidence against him (CJ) will stick. What we
are after is that we have justice; that we have—that our cases be tried based on
justice and equity. What was he (Corona) prior to becoming justice of the
Supreme Court? We have said that the totality of his conduct betrays his lack of
objectivity; betrays his lack of integrity; betrays his lack of impartiality,"
Lacierda claimed as he parroted Aquino's earlier statements tagging Corona as an
Arroyo puppet being a former presidential chief of staff, former presidential
spokesman and executive secretary of Mrs. Arroyo.
"These positions are positions of the highest trust and confidence. And
that's the reason when he was transferred and he was appointed as justice and
eventually as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the pattern of behavior; the
pattern of loyalty, of subservience to the former president remained," he said.
Lacierda said that Corona's glaring partiality for Mrs. Arroyo is "evidenced
by the various rulings that he participated in" citing the case of Tecson versus
Comelec where the chief justice dissented on the case of the late actor Fernando
Poe Jr. and the case of Senate versus Ermita where he concurred with the
constitutionality of Executive Order 464 which allowed then President Arroyo to
invoke executive privilege, among other cases.
"How do we say he is objective or impartial? How can you be impartial when
apart from being close to the former President, his wife was also appointed as
director of John Hay Development Corporation? This is a GOCC under the executive
department headed by (then) President Arroyo. The rules of the new Code of
Judicial Conduct provides that judges and members of their family shall neither
ask for nor accept any gifts, requests, or favor in relation to anything done or
to be done or omitted to be done by him or her in connection with the
performance of judicial duties," Lacierda said.
" We are victims of the decisions of Mr. Corona," he retorted.
Lacierda asserted that the impeachment case against Corona is "not against
the institution, this is not against the Supreme Court (but) this is against the
obvious partiality of one person who has served the former President, who is now
the sitting Chief Justice who continues to protect, aid and abet, and insulate
former President Arroyo from criminal prosecution."
"We are not impeaching the other justices. We are focused on CJ Corona, we
perceive him as someone not reliable, genuine rule of law. We want a Supreme
Court, we want a Chief Justice who will dispense true justice," he said.
The Aquino line was also mouthed by his Yellow allies in the House, with
Speaker Feliciano Belmonte yesterday lambasting Corona even as he said that the
chief justice should distinguish himself from the judiciary.
"The CJ should not confuse himself with the judiciary. The judiciary is not
he," Belmonte told House reporters yesterday amid reports that some courts have
declared a "holiday."
"He is not the judiciary and I really cannot imagine him declaring a
holiday," Belmonte quipped questioning the power of the chief justice to declare
a "court holiday."
Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III said that the "court holiday" is foul.
"It is not fair for the Judiciary to punish the people just so they can show
support for Justice Corona," Tañada said yesterday.
"This is really hitting us below the belt. The courts' operations is the
exclusive province of the Judiciary, neither of the other branches can intervene
to provide a remedy for the people. The judges know full well that they cannot
be made to resume their offices, and it is our citizens that will bear the brunt
of our helplessness," he said. With Gerry Baldo
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2011 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved
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