CORONA MOVED TO ICU OF MEDICAL CITY/
CASE AGAINST CORONA COLLAPSES
[PHOTO - Chief
Justice Renato Corona. RICHARD A.
REYES/Inquirer]
MANILA, MAY 24, 2012 (INQUIRER) By Marlon
Ramos - Chief Justice Renato Corona was brought to the intensive care
unit of The Medical City hospital in Pasig City early Wednesday, according to
Supreme Court spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez.
In a text message, Marquez said Corona was immediately taken to the ICU after
tests conducted by his attending doctors showed that his "Troponin T level (a
blood test) is elevated." "Diagnosis is possible heart attack. He's being
transferred to ICU," Marquez said.
Corona, who underwent a heart bypass operation a few years ago, was brought
to the hospital immediately after he testified in his impeachment trial in the
Senate on Tuesday.
FROM ABS-CBN
JPE warns CJ: Come back tomorrow or we decide by
Ira Pedrasa, ABS-CBNnews.com Posted at 05/22/2012 6:56 PM | Updated as of
05/22/2012 11:10 PM
[PHOTO - Chief Justice Renato Corona appears to break down in the
middle of his testimony during his impeachment trial on Tuesday. Corona said his
conscience is clear, and none of his family's assets and earnings were stolen
from public coffers. Photo by Joseph Vidal, Senate
Pool]
[Chief Justice Renato Corona consults with his wife Cristina in
the middle of his testimony in the impeachment trial on Tuesday. Corona bared
squabbles related to the wealth of his wife's family, the Basa-Guidote clan,
during the trial. Photo By Bernanrd Testa, Senate
Pool]
[Chief Justice Renato Corona appears to be in deep thought during
the prayer rally at the Supreme Court in Manila just before his appearance at
the Senate on Tuesday. Corona is expected to answer accusations related to his
properties and bank accounts that are the subject of his impeachment. Photo by Rem Zamora for ABS-CBNnews.com]
[Chief Justice Renato Corona embraces his wife Cristina during the
prayer rally at the Supreme Court in Manila before going to the Senate to
testify at his impeachment trial on Tuesday. Corona is expected to answer
accusations against him after 39 days of trial, including his dollar accounts
not declared in his SALN. Photo by Rem Zamora for
ABS-CBNnews.com]
MANILA, Philippines - Impeachment court Presiding Judge Juan Ponce Enrile on
Tuesday warned Chief Justice Renato Corona that senator-judges will decide his
case without his opening statement if he does not return on Wednesday.
[PHOTO - CORONA: MY CONSCIENCE IS CLEAR!]
Lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas said there was no intention on the part
of his client to disrespect the impeachment court with his sudden exit from the
Senate plenary hall after taking the witness stand and speaking and answering a
few questions for over 3 hours.
Corona went back to the hall at around 6 p.m. in a wheelchair, after
suffering from low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
At the resumption of the hearing, a miffed Enrile directed his ire at Cuevas
and said: "We did not volunteer, we are here by virtue of a mandate. I'm telling
you, Mr. Counsel, I have high respect for the Chief Justice and the institution
he belongs to but I equally demand respect for the institution I represent."
He ordered Corona to return on Wednesday or risk losing the Senate's
acceptance of his opening statement.
"We're giving him until tomorrow to return. If not, we'll consider this case
submitted for resolution," he said.
"You placed the Chief Justice on the witness stand…we even allowed him to
narrate. If he does not come back, you know the consequence: We strike down all
on record," Enrile said.
Cuevas answered: "Thy shall be done."
Cuevas asked for understanding, noting that Corona had no plan to just leave.
He added the chief justice had no choice since he was already suffering from
chest pains and had difficulty breathing.
"I have two brothers who died of hypoglycemia. That was why I was
apprehensive and panicky," said Cuevas. He added he was going to ask the court
to excuse his client and allow him to return tomorrow were it not for Corona's
sudden exit.
Corona narrated his testimony for more than three hours. His son-in law, Dr.
Constantino Castillo, said Corona's decision not to take any lunch partly
explains his hypoglycemia.
Defense lawyer Judd Roy said Corona did not intend to walk out of the trial,
noting that the chief justice asked that he be excused. "I told him to speak
louder. That's in the records," he said.
He dismissed insinuations Corona was role-playing to get public sympathy.
"The important thing is that CJ kept his word. If it's just a matter of
questioning, everybody has seen how the chief has been truthful," Roy added.
He said Corona is ready for cross-examination.
Many initially thought what Corona did was a "walkout."
After getting an applause for signing a waiver opening his bank accounts, he
stood up and left the session hall, confusing even Cuevas. He stayed at the
Senate clinic for less than an hour.
CASE AGAINST CORONA
COLLAPSES
DAILY INQUIRER-By: Rigoberto Tiglao - Anyone who has
actually watched and listened to the 34 impeachment trial sessions, and
therefore spared himself from the yellow filters of a partisan press, can only
but conclude: The impeachment case against Chief Justice Renato Corona has all
but collapsed.
[PHOTO - TAKEN TO THE HOSPITAL: POSSIBLE HEART ATTACK]
This has become obvious even as his defense has just warmed up. President
Aquino would have to exhaust his resources to bribe or threaten senator-judges
to undertake intellectual and ethical contortions to vote Corona guilty.
Consider the facts.
For starters: Recall that the House of Representatives in December forwarded
with much bravado to the Senate eight articles of impeachment—or allegations of
eight instances of wrongdoing by Corona. On the 25th trial day, the prosecution
sheepishly declared they had nothing else to present, and were no longer
pursuing five of the eight allegations (articles 1,4, 5,6, and 8), giving no
reason why.
The reason had become obvious though: these had been hurled merely as a
propaganda barrage, that there were so many issues against Corona that he was
better off resigning. They thought they could take out Corona just as easily as
they removed former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez who, after being demonized in
the press, resigned a few days after the impeachment case was filed.
But the man fought back, and there were courageous people in the country
rushing to his succor—the likes of the 83-year-old former associate justice
Serafin Cuevas, veteran top-notch lawyers, and young, cultured defense
spokespersons.
The prosecution had realized after two months of trial that Cuevas would be
making mincemeat out of the five made-up charges, and therefore dropped them.
Article 5 involved the Court decision for the creation of 16 cities and of
Dinagat Island as a province, while 4 and 6 involved its resolutions,
respectively, on Gutierrez's impeachment and the plagiarism case against an
associate justice. But all these Court actions—and others alleged in Article
1—were by the majority of the justices, and Corona's votes weren't even
tiebreakers. Article 1 even claimed that Corona should be impeached because he
accepted his appointment as chief justice!
Article 8—the most preposterous—alleged that Corona "failed to account for
the Judiciary Development Fund," the reporting systems for which have been
unchanged since it was set up nearly three decades ago in 1984.
The trial now therefore involves only Articles 2, 3 and 7. Article 7 accuses
Corona of protecting former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo when the Court
ordered the justice department to allow her to travel abroad. But Corona in that
case was just one of eight justices—against five—who voted in favor of Arroyo's
petition to travel.
The prosecution presented Article 3 only with respect to the Court's rulings
on the Philippine Airlines labor case, which however were also decisions agreed
upon by the majority.
What the impeachers are in effect saying is that Corona should have always
voted with the minority. If Corona had done that, he definitely should be
removed—for being a nutcase.
The first part of Article 2 alleged that Corona "failed to disclose his
statement of assets, liabilities, and net worth." But the Court issued a
resolution two decades ago that justices—in order to shield them from
harassment—must submit these documents only to the Court, and would have to get
its permission to have these publicly disclosed.
The second part alleged that "tens of millions worth of assets and cash" were
not declared in his SALNs.
The prosecution claimed that Corona had not disclosed 40 properties, with
Land Registration Authority head Eulalio Diaz—Aquino's long-time
buddy—submitting copies of titles he claimed were registered either under the
Chief Justice's or his wife's names.
That has been proven to be such a big lie that Sen. Loren Legarda demanded
that the prosecution should apologize for trying to fool the Senate and the
public.
Some 17 of the titles with the Coronas' names Diaz submitted already had the
prominent "CANCELLED" marking, meaning they no longer were the owners.
Another 12 were not even in the Coronas' names but were in his in-laws'
namesakes' and children's who had the means to purchase the properties. Seven
Marikina properties were sold in 1990 to one Demetrio Vicente who credibly
testified to that effect in court.
Three were parking lots attached to the condominiums. One title was part of a
property Corona had declared. Undervalued? But Corona reported the valuation of
his properties made by city assessors, which is used by most government
officials, even by Mr. Aquino who reported his upscale Quezon City home at its
assessor's valuation of P3 million.
And the moneys Corona had in his bank accounts but was not reported in his
SALN?
President Aquino's minions obviously were able to illegally access his bank
accounts, and probably jumped up and down in joy when they discovered that it
had over P40 million or so—much more than what he reported in his SALNs.
But last week, it was shown that Mrs. Cristina Corona had received—in trust
for the corporate owner—P35 million for the payment of a land sold to the city
of Manila, which she had deposited in her husband's bank.
"So it turns out that it is not (Corona's) money, but that of the company.
So, it was only proper that he did not include it (in his SALN)," Sen. Miriam
Santiago concluded.
Why did they ever undertake this vicious but foolhardy campaign to crush the
Chief Justice?
"Truth overcomes deceit," the Buddhist Dhammapada said more than 2,000 years
ago.
The deceit is that Corona should be taken out for corruption. The truth is
that Mr. Aquino clan can get P10 billion for Hacienda Luisita only if Corona is
removed.
VIDEO: NCHIEF JUSTICE CORONA TESTIMONY
Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi
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