PROSECUTORS' EYEING SENATE SEATS
MANILA, FEBRUARY 25, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Cathy C. Yamsuan - House
prosecutors are crying foul over how they are being embarrassed at every turn in
the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona because this is hurting
their senatorial ambitions.
The switchblade-tongued Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago propounded this
theory on radio on Thursday following complaints by some lawmakers apparently
hurt by senators, including herself, who had been critical of the performance of
the prosecutors.
Santiago countered that live coverage of the trial, and not she, should be
blamed for the prosecutors' woes.
It is very clear that the real-time airing of their bloopers is hurting their
chances at a Senate seat in 2013, she explained.
"The world has changed. Students especially, are accessing the Web so you can
see from their reactions to the trial that they disapprove of the unpreparedness
of the prosecutors," Santiago said. "My critics just want to get attention. They
want to become senators, perhaps."
The former trial judge initially refused to comment on the prosecutors'
grievance.
"Why be on the defensive? The prosecutors should think for themselves why the
judges are upset over their performance. They do not study! If they were school
boys, I should be spanking their bottoms with a ruler because they are not doing
their homework," Santiago said.
Vitriolic attacks
Santiago was apparently singled out for her vitriolic attacks on the
prosecution panel's manner of questioning witnesses.
The senator recalled there was even a time when she aided the prosecution in
"laying the foundation" during the direct examination of Annabelle Tiongson, a
branch manager of Philippine Savings Bank, to establish her credibility as a
witness.
Santiago has also criticized the chief House prosecutor, Iloilo
Representative Niel Tupas Jr., numerous times for what she perceived as the
panel's lack of preparation in their presentation of evidence and witnesses.
This is on top of Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile's dramatic rejection on
Tuesday of a witness to be presented by the prosecution on the travel perks that
Corona and his wife Cristina supposedly enjoyed at Philippine Airlines.
Told that House Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales Jr. had complained about her
tone of voice during the trial, Santiago said prosecutors had no business
minding the way she spoke.
"If they think they can make an issue out of this, I have been talking like
this since I was a child. If this is part of my personality, is that not a
personal attack? Like when one berates another's hair, face, bad breath or body
odor? We should stick to the issue," she said.
Prosecution nitpicking
Santiago added that this kind of nitpicking was her reason for not taking the
prosecutors seriously.
"They were losing. To think that I was already helping them. I really want to
punch some of them given the chance ('Yung iba suntukin ko na, eh)," she said.
In another interview, Enrile lashed at the prosecutors for whining.
"They should come to the trial prepared. How long have we been doing this?
How many days," he asked. So far, the trial had already run for six weeks or 23
days.
Enrile said prosecutors had been told time and again to come to the trial
already braced for a grueling presentation.
"I even aid them now and then by asking questions because the manner by which
they grill their witnesses is really objectionable. Sometimes, it seems I am
already acting on their side as their lawyer so they cannot say I am biased
against the House of Representatives," he fumed.
Enrile reminded prosecutors he opted not to call Quezon City Representative
Jorge "Bolet" Banal to explain how he acquired photocopies of Corona's dollar
deposits in Tiongson's branch and his alleged illegal attempt to confirm the
deposits with her.
"I could have summoned him but I did not want to breach interparliamentary
courtesy so I did not do it. As presiding officer, I also consider their
interests. If there is a valid objection to their questions, are they saying I
cannot rule?" the Senate President asked.
Pretrial conference
Santiago said that Enrile should have agreed to a pretrial conference before
the Senate started hearing Corona's impeachment case.
This would have spared the prosecution from the embarrassment it is suffering
now, she said.
"Unfortunately, the impeachment court decided against it under pain of being
accused of slowing down the proceedings. The judge asks one party what his story
is and the other, what his version is. A pretrial would have determined the
course of the trial," she explained.
Reacting to Santiago's statement, Corona's lawyer, Tranquil Salvador III,
said: "It's hard at this time to make a conclusion that the prosecution is
losing steam … We cannot say that it is shared by all senator-judges." With a report from Marlon Ramos
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE
NEWS ONLINE
All rights reserved
PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS
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