PHNO-HL: CORONA WILL NOT APPEAL / CORONA ACCEPTS HIS FATE BUT INSISTS HE IS INNOCENT

CORONA WILL NOT APPEAL / CORONA ACCEPTS HIS FATE BUT INSISTS HE IS
INNOCENT

MANILA, JUNE 1, 2012
(ABS-CBN) Palace, House welcome Corona's
decision.
Former Chief Justice Renato Corona will not appeal the decision of
the impeachment court finding him guilty of betrayal of public trust and
culpable violation of the Constitution for his failure to disclose his Statement
of Assets, Liabilities and Net worth as required under the Constitution.
Corona, who is still in The Medical City undergoing medical treatment, said
on Thursday his impeachment was now a "closed chapter" in his life.
"He considers it a closed chapter sa kanyang buhay, and it appears he
is moving on, moving forward," said defense counsel Tranquil Salvador III.
Corona met with his lawyers for 30 minutes and decided he would no longer
file an appeal.
Salvador said Corona's family supported the decision.
Corona may also be released from the hospital on Saturday. He was confined
for hypoglycemia and heart ailment after testifying last May 22.
Senator-judges voted 20-3 last Tuesday convicting Corona on article 2 of the
impeachment complaint.
His defense lawyers had mulled filing an appeal before the Supreme Court.

Constitutional law expert Fr. Joaquin Bernas said on Wednesday he doubts
whether an appeal by Corona would succeed in the high court.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile had also warned the Supreme Court against
defying the impeachment court's ruling, saying the Senate had the sole power to
hear and judge impeachment cases.
Corona's rival in the SC, Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, took over as
acting chief justice on Wednesday, a day after Corona's removal from the high
court.
Palace, House welcome Corona's decision
Meantime, Malacañang and the members of the lower House welcomed Corona's
decision not to appeal the Senate impeachment court's ruling.
"That is properly the period that ends the chapter of the Corona
impeachment," deputy Presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a text
message to ABS-CBN News.
House Majority Leader Boyet Gonzales said Corona realized that he no longer
holds sway over his former colleagues in the high tribunal.
"The fact that the SC, through a special en banc met yesterday and issued
orders that practically demonstrated that he had already lost control of the SC
and could no longer rely on his perceived allies, I'm sure, contributed to his
decision. Nevertheless, salamat na rin at wala ng duda na final na conviction
niya," Gonzales said.
Members of the House prosecution team who took part in Corona's impeachment
trial said they are thankful for the former chief justice's decision not to
appeal his case.
"It would've engendered some uncertainty for what is and should be a certain
and unappealable result. There is much work to be done and for many months, the
country was glued to the drama of the trial. Now I would say the next challenge
is to actually focus on the economy. Fighting corruption only gets you so far by
providing a good foundation for growth, but we still have to build the
proverbial structure: jobs, infrastructure, opportunities. The trial was just
prologue, this should be the real business of the government," Rep. Sonny Angara
said.
"As far as the responsibility of the House under the Constitution is
concerned, our role is finished," Rep. Miro Quimbo said.
"We welcome the decision of former CJ Corona not to pursue an appeal to the
SC. Former CJ Corona showed that he has accepted the decision and ready to move
on. We may be in different camps on the issue of his impeachment but at least
this act of former CJ Corona would show that he had the country's interest inhis
mind," Rep. Erin Tañada said. - with reports from Jing
Castañeda, Willard Cheng and RG Cruz, ABS-CBN News
FROM MANILA STANDARD
Corona accepts fate, but insists on his innocence
Posted May 30th, 2012 by Rey E. Requejo & filed under Main
Stories.
CHIEF Justice Renato Corona on Tuesday accepted the Senate's decision
finding him guilty of violating the Constitution by failing to disclose his cash
assets.
In a statement released hours after the Senate rendered its verdict, Corona
said he had surrendered his fate from the start when he submitted himself to the
impeachment process.
"If this is for the good of the country, I am accepting the calvary that I
have suffered. From the start, I had been ready to offer my own life for the
country," Corona, who still confined at The Medical City, said in a statement.

"I am entrusting my future and the future of the judiciary to God and the
people who are the powers in our democracy."
The head of Corona's defense team, retired Supreme Court Associate Justice
Serafin Cuevas, accepted the impeachment court's verdict but said Corona had the
option to question the guilty verdict.
He said Corona may ask the Supreme Court to void the impeachment court's
decisions for grave abuse of discretion.
"If the chief justice decides to do so, we will bring this issue before the
Supreme Court," Cuevas said.
"We noticed many instances of grave abuse of discretion."
But defense counsel Dannis Manalo said the impeachment court's decision may
not be appealed.
"We respect the impeachment court," he said.
Maguindanao Rep. Simeon Datumanong said he hoped that the Aquino
administration would be able to focus on the country's pressing problems now
that the impeachment trial was over.
"Let us hope that the decision of the impeachment court will now make
government focus on solving the problems besetting our nation," he said.
Zambales Rep. Milagros Magsaysay urged the Aquino administration to begin
focusing on the gut issues.
"Genuine reforms should take place and true governance for the benefit of the
Filipino people should prevail," she said.
House Assistant Majority Leader and Davao City Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles
said he hoped the Senate's decision would put a closure to the case.
"It is time to move on," he said.
Western Samar Rep. Mel Senen said: "The majesty of the law should always
reign in all levels of society," he said.
Ang Kasangga party-list Rep. Teodorico Haresco urged the Filipinos to work
together to build a better nation.
Corona accepted the impeachment court's verdict but appealed to his critics
and accusers to end the "politics of personal attacks" and "vanguish the poison
caused by too much divisiveness ."
He asserted his innocence.
He said the President used the full powers and resources of the government to
go after him.
He thanked Senators Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago and Ferdinand
Marcos Jr. for finding him innocent. With Maricel V. Cruz
and Joel E. Zurbano

(Published in the Manila Standard Today newspaper on /2012/May/30)



Chief News Editor: Sol
Jose Vanzi

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