GMA PRESIDENCY HUGE FAILURE
MANILA, JANUARY 15,
2012 (TRIBUNE) By Benjamin B. Pulta - A big
hoax and a cheap shot. This is what the claim of the House prosecutors of 45
property titles allegedly belonging to the impeached Chief magsitrate was.
Chief Justice Renato Corona denounced this as a blatant attempt at a smear
campaign the recent public statement of the House prosecution panela alleging no
less than 45 unreported titles supposedly belonging to the magistrate.
Earlier, the CJ had scored the prosecution for the list of properties, saying
that they (President Aquino and his allies) are trying to portray him as a
thief, adding: "I am not a thief like them."
In a statement, Corona pointed out that "the list includes several titles for
one and the same property, or parking slots for one and the same condominium
unit."
"In some cases, the titles are in the name of persons I do not even know." he
added.
"In others, properties belonging to my "balaes" (daughter-in-law's parents)
are listed and claimed to be mine. There are many repetitive entries to make the
list deliberately long to create a false and misleading impression about my
assets." Corona complained.
"As I have repeatedly declared, my SALn (Statement of Assets and Liabilities
Networth) contains all the properties that I own — all five of them. " he said
and described the list from the Land Registration Authority (LRA) enumerating 45
titles as "black propaganda (meant) to poison the people's minds."
"I condemn this list of titles as a hoax, calculated to cleverly inflict
maximum damage to me in the eyes of the public. By its sheer number alone, it
smacks of bad faith and deception." Corona said.
"I have concealed nothing. I will expose the malice and the black propaganda
behind this hoax of a list from LRA at the right time and place,
and accordance with the correct procedure it he Impeachment court," he
stressed.
Some of the listed owners inthe LRA list requested and given to lead
prosecutor Rep. Niel Tupas included in the list of properties are those that do
not even carry the name of Corona or his in-laws, such as one in the name of
Ismael Mathay, another in the name of Burgundy Realty Corp; another in the name
of National Housing Authority. Yet another to family members of Constatino
Castillo, simply because a daughter of Corona is married to a Castillo. More: A
TCT in the name of Eugenia Coronado as well as a Dante Encina.
The Chief Justice also said that the impeachment proceeding is linked to the
recent Supreme Court decision on the fate of the sprawling Hacienda Luisita
estate in Tarlac province which is owned by the Aquino-Cojuangco clan.
"That is very clear. It is the Hacienda Luisita's Supreme Court ruling that
they (President Aquino, his allies and his House prosecutors) want reversed.
There can be no other motive,"Corona told reporters yesterday.
" But I bear no grudge.What I know is how to forgive," she added.
Corona attended mass with his children yesterday at the Supreme Court.
The head magistrate said his resignation is out of the question.
The House prosecution panel yesterday vouched for the authenticity of the
documents released by the Land Registration Authority pertaining to the 45
properties that are allegedly owned by Corona.
Marikina City Rep. Miro Quimbo said that Corona should face the issue of his
alleged properties at the Senate Impeachment Court. He was reacting to a
statement issued by the Chief Justice that if they find his properties, he would
issue a deed of donation.
"The Chief Justice's response evades the question of whether the properties
identified are ill-gotten or not. He should answer that,"said Quimbo in an
interview.
Corona said he would execute a deed of donation if the prosecution can find
the properties whose ownership being alleged to be his.
But Quimbo said that Corona does not need to execute the deed of donation
because the impeachment process and the existing laws will automatically forfeit
his alleged properties if proven ill-gotten during the trial.
"Besides, there is no need to look for the properties They have already been
found: 45 of them all over Metro Manila alone! There is no need to donate
because under the law, they will be forfeited anyway if it is proven that it is
ill gotten. That's why he needs to explain," Quimbo pointed out.
They failed to explain, however, why the LRA included in the list, properties
that are not even in the name of Corona, but in the name of even the National
Housing Authority and Burgundy Realty, among other listed properties.
This developed as the prosecution panel blasted Supreme Court spokesman Midas
Marquez for saying that the start of the impeachment trial on Monday would
trigger the collapse of the judiciary.
Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo "Sonny" Angara, spokesman for the prosecution, said
whatever conclusion that the Senate Impeachment Court may arrive later will
strengthen democracy and the SC.
"We do not agree with the statement of Court Administrator Midas Marquez. We
believe after the impeachment trial, the Supreme Court and other institutions in
the country will become strong, robust and solid as well as democracy in
general. It will not crumble because this process is about transparency and
accountability of public officials," Angara said.
"The impeachment is a process that is designed to save the Filipino people
from undesirable public officials and improve and strengthen our democracy,"
Angara added.
Quimbo, said that Midas should instead blame Corona because he allegedly
betrayed public trust.
"It is not the fault of the Supreme Court. It is the fault of Chief Justice
Corona if the Supreme Court is crumbling in the eyes of public. We respect the
institution and we believe that after we have gone through this process, we
would have even created a reformed SC that would bring the trust back of the
people," said Quimbo, adding that being a lawyer, impeaching the Chief Justice
is a painful experience on their part, but this is needed to reform the
judiciary.
Deputy Speaker and Quezon Rep. Lorenzo "Erin" Tañada, also a lawyer and
another spokesman for the prosecution, expressed strong belief that only the
name of Corona has been affected by the controversy and the SC as an institution
remains strong.
Tañada also challenged Marquez to cease from defending Corona because the SC
is being dragged to Corona's controversy.
"I'd like to remind Mr. Marquez that there are already spokesmen appointed to
speak on behalf of Chief Justice Corona. And since he already announced his
(Corona) spokesmen, he (Marquez) should refrain from speaking because he may
also be one of the causes the SC's image is crumbling," said Tañada.
Quimbo also stressed that the process conducted by the House of
Representatives in impeaching Corona was constitutional and legal.
Earlier, officials of the The Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) called
on prosecutors anew to await their chance to present their case before the
impeachment court instead of blatantly defying the admonition of the upper
chamber prohibiting public discussion of merits of the case against Corona.
The IBP said the statements of Quimbo, on Corona's SALn despite the gag order
from the Senate only demonstrated their disrespect to rules.
The lawyers' organization likewise criticized the prosecution panel for
making public last Thursday the list of at least 45 condominium units allegedly
owned by Chief Justice Corona and his family despite earlier reprimand from the
senators .
"The effort is really a violation of due process since only one side of the
issue is being presented," IBP spokesman and Northern Luzon governor lawyer
Dennis Habawel told reporters.
The IBP official said public discussion of merits of case by either party is
prohibited under Rule 18 of Resolution No. 39, or the Senate rules on
impeachment.
Earlier in the week Last , lawyer Fernando Perito urged the impeachment court
to cite the 11-man prosecution panel in contempt for their earlier public
presentation of evidence in the case, documents on Corona's P14.5-million
apartment in the posh Bellagio Tower in Bonifacio Global City in Taguig City.
Habawel took exception to Quimbo's claim that the senator-judges would
convict Corona if prosecutors could prove that the Chief Justice's salary is not
commensurate to his properties.
He rebutted the lawmaker's argument that the Chief Justice would be proven
guilty of having ill-gotten wealth even without presenting evidence.
"Under the law on ill-gotten or unexplained wealth, it is not only the salary
but also "other lawful income" that is considered in explaining whether wealth
acquired by an official is not commensurate or is unexplained. So issue does not
end upon showing CJ salary, since his other lawful income should also be
inquired into," the IBP official explained.
Habawel questioned Quimbo's allegation that Corona "misquoted" the
Constitution when he asserted in his answer filed last Dec. 26 that the
impeachment complaint should be verified by all lawmakers who signed it.
He explained: "The Constitution simply mentions filing of 'verified
complaint.' It is in the House rules on impeachment that verification is
specifically provided. Whether or not the impeachment complaint was verified
according to provisions of the House rules is settled simply by looking at the
document itself."
Nine years under GMA a 'huge failure,' says Aquino economic
exec 01/14/2012
A key member of President Aquino's economic team who held a Cabinet post in
the Arroyo government yesterday fired back at his former boss, saying the
nine-year administration of former President now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Arroyo was
a "huge failure."
"She was given the rare opportunity through People Power to lead differently
but she turned her back on her big opportunity. We ended up suffering from those
years of very bad governance," Budget and Management Secretary Florencio Abad
said in an interview with reporters at the sidelines of the New
Year's Vin d'Honneur in Malacañang.
He stressed that while it may be true that Arroyo ended her presidency with a
7.9-percent growth rate and 38 quarters of uninterrupted economic growth, it was
not inclusive.
"The question is what is her legacy? The numbers may have grown but if you
look at the poverty incidence, it has worsened," Abad noted, adding that
transparency and accountability in use of public funds were "totally absent"
during Arroyo's term.
"She's really been getting a lot of negative publicity... I guess she's
hoping to be able to recover from that by coming up with a presentation like
that," he said in criticizing Arroyo.
According to Abad, it is very easy to dispute Arroyo's claims "even without
going into deeper research" through the surveys showing high satisfaction
ratings of President Aquino.
"You just ask the people. Ratings after ratings show satisfaction with the
government against decreasing approval ratings of the past administration.
There's a renewed sense of hope that things are moving in the right direction,"
Abad, who left the Arroyo administration in 2005 at the height of the former'
president's alleged involvement in Hello Garci controversy, said.
In her paper, entitled "It's The Economy, Student!" Arroyo said the Aquino
administration has been marked by an "increasing vacuum of leadership, vision,
energy and execution" in managing the country's affairs. Fernan J. Angeles
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
All
rights reserved
PHILIPPINE
HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE [PHNO] WEBSITE
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