CONSTITUTION? (1st DAY)
[PHOTO -
Senator-Judge Edgardo Angara leads the opening prayer for the impeachment
trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona at the Philippine Senate on Monday. Photo by Rem Zamora for ABS-CBNnews.com]
MANILA, JANUARY 17, 2012 (ABS-CBN) A
loyal servant of former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo or a fierce protector
of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights? House prosecutors and defense
lawyers presented different pictures of embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona at
the start of his impeachment trial in the Senate Monday.
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Sr. described Corona as a "loyal servant" of Mrs.
Arroyo even before she became president in 2001. He said Corona's loyalty reaped
numerous rewards.
[PHOTO - Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. delivers the opening statement of the
prosecution panel in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, Chief
of Justice on Trial, ANC, January 16, 2012]
"Imagine, GMA paid for his back surgery. His wife was given plum positions in
the John Hay Management Corporation. He was appointed Associate Justice, and the
best reward of all, against all odds, he took a midnight oath as Chief Justice
of the Supreme Court," he said in his opening statement before the Senate
impeachment court.
[PHOTO - Protesters march towards the Philippine Senate in
Pasay City urging for the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona before the
start of the Impeachment Trial of the Supreme Court chief on Monday. Photo by Rem Zamora for ABS-CBNnews.com]
Tupas said the Senate and members of the House of Representatives were
gathered to try Corona because the Chief Justice "bartered away for a pot of
porridge the effectiveness, the independence and the honor of the Supreme
Court."
The lawmaker again cited the numerous accusations in the impeachment
complaint, including:
•that Corona was deeply indebted to Mrs. Arroyo and granted her favor by
issuing a temporary restraining order allowing her to travel abroad;
•that he intervened in the impeachment against former Ombudsman Merceditas
Gutierrez, again to protect Arroyo;
•that he amassed ill-gotten wealth after he was appointed to the Supreme
Court in 2002;
•that he failed to account for the Judiciary Development Fund (JDF) and the
special allowance for the judiciary fund (SAJ);
•lack of moral fitness by committing acts of impropriety involving parties
with pending cases in the Supreme Court.
"Mr. Senate President, your honors, we submit that Renato Corona, by his
misdeeds, is unfit to remain Chief Justice," he said.
No bias for Mrs. Arroyo
[PHOTO - CARTOON SPOTLIGHT ON 'SENATE CORONA IMPEACH CIRCUS' VS 'AILING
ECONOMY, LABOR INJUSTICE, DISASTER RISKS AND OTHER MORE IMPORTANT NATION'S
ISSUES']
On the part of the defense, lawyer Eduardo delos Angeles reiterated that the
Chief Justice does not own 45 real estate properties as alleged by impeachment
prosecutors.
He noted that the impeachment complaint does not mention the 45 properties
but only Corona's failure to account for the SAJ and JDF and his non-disclosure
of his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
The defense lawyer said President Aquino was antagonistic to the Supreme
Court because of its ruling to distribute Hacienda Luisita to landless farmers
in Tarlac. The hacienda is majority-owned by Aquino's relatives.
He also noted that the prosecutors only chose select SC decisions to prove
that Corona was biased for Mrs. Arroyo, omitting some SC decisions where the
Chief Justice voted against the former President's interests.
Delos Angeles also chastised the congressmen for questioning the
flip-flopping SC decisions on the League of Municipalities and the Dinagat
Islands cases.
Defender of the Bill of Rights
Delos Angeles also defended the SC's decision to issue a TRO for Mrs. Arroyo,
noting that no criminal case had yet been filed against her when she filed a
pleading before the High Court.
He recalled the controversial Supreme Court ruling on June 29, 1962 involving
then Justice Secretary Jose Diokno and American businessman Harry Stonehill.
In the ruling, the Supreme Court ruled that Diokno conducted an illegal
seizure of 2 truckloads of documents from Stonehill, which allegedly showed the
businessman paying bribes to top government officials. It added that the
warrants were illegal because it did not specify the things to be seized as
required by the Constitution.
Delos Angeles said the Stonehill case was strikingly similar to the crusade
of President Aquino to stamp out corruption.
"In both, there are crusading officials who want to eliminate corruption. In
both, the public overwhelmingly support these officials. In both, the officials
unfortunately transgressed the Constitution. In both, the Supreme Court stepped
in and issued adverse and unpopular decisions because its task is to uphold the
Constitution and the Bill of Rights," he said.
The lawyer said that in upholding the Bill of Rights, the Supreme Court and
Corona "cannot be considered obstacles to clean government or the President's
vision to daang matuwid.
"They protect individual rights and do not betray the public trust," he
added.
Corona: My battle is for defense of PHL democracy
by Ina Reformina, ABS-CBN News Posted at 01/09/2012 8:45 PM | Updated
as of 01/10/2012 10:26 AM
MANILA, Philippines - Mrs. Cristina Roco Corona, wife of Chief
Justice Renato Corona, was teary-eyed during the singing of the song "Impossible
Dream" that culminated the mass dedicated to judicial independence at the
Supreme Court (SC) today initiated by multi-sectoral group Solidarity for
Sovereignty(S4S).
This was the 4th of the group's 9-day novena that began last Friday.
Mrs. Corona attended the mass along with the Chief Justice, and their
children, Francis and Carla. Youngest daughter, Cherry, is in the United States.
Celebrant Fr. Dave Clay assured the congregation, amid the looming
impeachment trial against the Chief Magistrate, that "God has His own time," and
that "He knows what is going on in our country."
"God is in charge of our fate and He is in charge of our country... God has
has own time.... if you really trust the Lord, why are you anxious?" Clay said
in his homily.
"All He wants of us is pray, not prey, but pray. Let's stop criticizing,
let's stop judging, and start praying," he added.
He also asked for prayers for the Chief Justice and the justices of the
Supreme Court, "that they may be protected, and function the way they are
supposed to function."
Speaking to reporters at the end of the mass, Corona said he was moved by the
homily.
'It is God who is in control'
Corona, whose impeachment trial at the Senate, sitting as an Impeachment
Court, begins on January 16, said he found comfort in the priest's message.
"It is God who is in control, [the priest] said," Corona told reporters.
He reiterated his position to submit to the trial and not give in to calls
for his resignation.
"Lahat na itinaya ko na dito. Hindi na para sa akin ito, para na ito sa
demokrasya," he added.
'I am still fortunate'
He may be the first Chief Justice of the country to be impeached and put on
trial, but Corona said he still felt he is more fortunate than others because he
is being given the opportunity to bare himself before the public.
"Manalo, matalo, ang mahalaga rito ay maipakilala ko ang sarili ko. Let is
not be said that I did not defend my principles," Corona said.
"I am still fortunate because I have the opportunity na panindigan ang aking
prinsipyo, not all are given this opportunity," he added.
The 9-day novena for judicial independence will end on January 14th, 2 days
before the trial at the Senate.
Safeguard our democracy -- S4S
In a written statement passed on to attendees of the mass, S4S called on "all
freedom-loving Filipinos to safeguard our democracy and sovereignty and fight
for it now that it is being attacked."
"This administration must be reminded that all authority of government
emanates from the people and that its sovereign will must be respected and must
prevail at all times.
"Let it be known to all and sundry that all members, supporters, sympathizers
and advocates of the S4S be it religious or priest, military, youth, OFW
(overseas Filipino worker), farmer, worker, urban poor, professional, etc. --
have agreed that it is time to stand up against the creeping dictatorship of
this administration," the statement read.
S4S also stressed that the Constitution "has enshrined the checks and
balances within government through the co-equality of the executive, legislative
and judicial branches of government."
The group also lambasted the 188 members of the House of Representatives that
filed the impeachment complaint for "singling out" Corona "when 6 of his
supposed crimes were all collegial in nature which is a clear manifestation of
outright persecution by the legislative upon the instigation of the executive of
the head of a co-equal branch of government."
In his 80-page answer to the Articles of Impeachment, Corona himself stressed
that he "has no control over any Justice of the Supreme Court."
"The decision of the Supreme Court, either by division or en banc, is a
result of the deliberative process and voting among the Justices. Each Justice
has the prerogative to write and voice his separate or dissenting opinion. A
concurrence of the majority, however, is needed to decide any case," Corona, in
his Answer, said.
MANILA, Philippines - Former Senator and now political analyst Ernesto Maceda
said it will be an uphill battle for the prosecution to garner at least 16 votes
for the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
In an interview with ANC, Maceda said the current configuration is at five or
six senators for the ouster of Corona against the three votes for his acquittal.
He said that while the Liberal Party bloc is already considered for the
conviction of Corona, the prosecution still needs to achieve 16 votes.
The Liberal Party bloc includes Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, TG
Guingona and Francis Pangilinan. They are joined by "allies," Senators Panfilo
Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV.
Corona probably has senators Miriam Santiago, Joker Arroyo and Bongbong
Marcos. The last two have supposedly shown their support for Corona.
Marcos belongs to the Nacionalista Party bloc of senators Manuel Villar, and
siblings Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, he said.
Maceda, however, noted that the swing votes can come from the bloc of
senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Vicente Sotto III and Gregorio
Honasan.
"An abstention or absence will be favorable to an acquittal," he said.
He, however, noted that there are 6 re-electionists among the senators, all
of whom are in the top six in opinion surveys. He said it remains to be seen if
these six will go towards a "popular" vote.
He also said that a longer trial will be favorable for Corona.
If there is a sure winner in all these, it would be the anti-Reproductive
Health (RH) Bill advocates, Maceda said, since the Senate won't have enough time
to pass the measure.
Maceda: 16 votes uphill battle for prosecution by
Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 01/16/2012 1:56 PM | Updated as of
01/16/2012 1:56 PM
MANILA, Philippines - Former Senator and now political analyst Ernesto
Maceda said it will be an uphill battle for the prosecution to garner at least
16 votes for the ouster of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
In an interview with ANC, Maceda said the current configuration is at five or
six senators for the ouster of Corona against the three votes for his acquittal.
He said that while the Liberal Party bloc is already considered for the
conviction of Corona, the prosecution still needs to achieve 16 votes.
The Liberal Party bloc includes Senators Franklin Drilon, Ralph Recto, TG
Guingona and Francis Pangilinan. They are joined by "allies," Senators Panfilo
Lacson and Antonio Trillanes IV.
Corona probably has senators Miriam Santiago, Joker Arroyo and Bongbong
Marcos. The last two have supposedly shown their support for Corona.
Marcos belongs to the Nacionalista Party bloc of senators Manuel Villar, and
siblings Pia and Alan Peter Cayetano, he said.
Maceda, however, noted that the swing votes can come from the bloc of
senators Juan Ponce Enrile, Jinggoy Estrada, Vicente Sotto III and Gregorio
Honasan.
"An abstention or absence will be favorable to an acquittal," he said.
He, however, noted that there are 6 re-electionists among the senators, all
of whom are in the top six in opinion surveys. He said it remains to be seen if
these six will go towards a "popular" vote.
He also said that a longer trial will be favorable for Corona.
If there is a sure winner in all these, it would be the anti-Reproductive
Health (RH) Bill advocates, Maceda said, since the Senate won't have enough time
to pass the measure.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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