CORONA
MANILA, MARCH 14,
2012 (PHILSTAR) By Aurea Calica - Malacañang
denied yesterday President Aquino was personally lobbying for the senators to
overwhelmingly convict impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona for betrayal of
public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said it was not true that the President
met with senators individually, but only saw them during public events.
For example, Lacierda said Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and Sen. Manuel
Villar Jr. were present when American senators visited and paid a courtesy call
on the President in Malacañang recently.
When the government-owned and controlled corporations turned over P19 billion
to the national coffers, Sen. Franklin Drilon, among others, was present during
the ceremony at the Palace, he added.
The President also met Sen. Edgardo Angara in Aurora during the founding
anniversary of the province.
"When there are some legislative matters to be discussed, it's not remote
that the President will meet with them. But certainly on legislative matters.
However, to put color to the meetings, that's not true," Lacierda said.
Reports said Aquino held one-on-one talks with most of the 23
senators to get the numbers needed to convict Corona.
Aquino reportedly last talked to Senators Ralph Recto and Joker Arroyo.
Sources at the Senate said Aquino was apparently disturbed by an internal
survey that showed only 37 percent of the people were in favor of Corona's
conviction and that the trustworthiness of senators remained high regardless of
whether they would vote for conviction or acquittal.
Malacañang has denied that it conducted such a survey, or had any knowledge
of such a survey.
TRIBUNE EDITORIAL
Public lynching not allowed EDITORIAL
Without saying it, impeachment court presiding justice Senate
President Juan Ponce Enrile bared his heart the other day on the doubts he holds
on the ability of some of the senator-judges in the Senate trial to render an
impartial judgment on impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.
Noynoy's Senate partymates and some other senators who have been won over to
the oust-Corona movement have been and continue to be perceived as aiding the
prosecution panel by jumping in whenever the accusers of Corona encounter a dead
end either through sheer incompetence or as a result of the rules of the Senate
court, which rules, not surprisingly, are being claimed by the same Noynoy
senator allies not to apply strictly — to the point of even introducing hearsay
as evidence beneficial to Noynoy and his senator-judges, and also polluted and
illegally obtained evidence as proof.
What these Noynoy senator-allies are intent on is to turn the Senate court
into a kangaroo court, merely to get Corona convicted, and hand the Supreme
Court control on a silver platter to Noynoy.
Often, the senator-judges are believed to be rescuing the prosecutors
whenever their line of argument falls outside of the Articles of Impeachment or
when the evidence they present are obviously meant more for a publicity stunt
rather than substantiating the charges raised against Corona.
Enrile the other day said he will offer to step down as the
officiating head of the impeachment trial if the senator-judges or the
prosecution panel starts to blast away at Corona to put him in a humiliating
spot if his lawyers decide to call him as witness.
Enrile expressed belief that Corona's presence is crucial for both his
defense and to make clear to the public his intention to clear his name from the
allegations raised against him, saying that there is no better person to rebut
the Articles of Impeachment than Corona himself.
Noynoy and his allies in the House and in the Senate court are also egging on
Corona to testify before the trial but apparently for a different reason which
is to pillory him before nationwode television on allegations even beyond the
impeachment charges.
After the prosecutors withdrew five of the eight Articles of Impeachment, it
was made clear that Noynoy and his yellow mob are only exploiting the
impeachment process to sustain the campaign to vilify Corona and several other
members of the Supreme Court.
The attacks being waged against the Chief Justice have the hallmarks of
muckraking which is very familiar during campaigns for the presidential
elections.
Even his gun collections, doctorate studies and members of his family were
fair game in the character assassination campaign obviously to pressure Corona
to hoist the white flag and resign.
Enrile apparently knows this and the efforts of the allies of Noynoy in the
impeachment court which are all geared toward demonizing Corona instead of
building up the basis for a solid judgment for his conviction or acquittal.
With a perceived air of resignation, Enrile said that he will not stand for a
public lynching of Corona in the impeachment trial and that he will not hesitate
to resign voluntarily his post as presiding judge if the senator-judges will set
up the Chief Justice for a public shaming should he appear in the trial.
What is being missed out by these Noynoy senator-judges is the fact that if
Enrile quits as the presiding officer, the entire trial's credibility and
integrity collapses, precisely because it is Enrile who has tried, from day one,
to keep the trial credible and impartial.
It has always been these senator-judges who march to the beat of their master
in Malacañang who have done all they can and more, to destroy the majesty of an
impartial and fair trial and turn it into a kangaroo court.
Enrile said disrespecting the Chief Justice at the trial is like dishonoring
the country and the Constitution.
He might as well be talking to Noynoy himself.
Chief News Editor: Sol Jose Vanzi
© Copyright, 2012 by PHILIPPINE HEADLINE NEWS ONLINE
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rights reserved
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