Senate to convict Corona

BY JAIME PILAPIL
THE MANILA TIMES

Verdict aims to spare Aquino from embarrassment — senator

Out of respect for the Office of the President, particularly for a popular leader, majority if not all of the current 23 senator-judges will vote to convict impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, a respectable senator, who asked not to be identified, recently told a select group of reporters covering the Malacañang beat.The male senator, who is not a member of the ruling Liberal Party, said that only Sen. Joker Arroyo is the remaining senator-judge who is not inclined to vote for the conviction of Corona.He added that the rest, including Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago, would accede to the call of President Benigno Aquino 3rd to vote for the expulsion of Corona from the Supreme Court.“I’m sure the senators would heed the call of the President and they would vote for the conviction of the Chief Justice,” the senator told reporters over dinner somewhere in Manila near Malacañang, official residence of President Aquino.

In a bid to give credence to his analysis, he gave a rundown of the voting inclination of the senator-judges.

Corona needs seven votes to acquit and 16 votes to convict.

The four senators from the Liberal Party—Franklin Drilon, Teofisto Guingona 3rd, Ralph Recto and Francis Pangilinan—would vote for conviction, according to the source of The Manila Times.

Of the current 23 senators, six are eligible for reelection in the 2013 polls.

The six senators would be forced to vote for Corona’s conviction so as not to suffer the public wrath since Mr. Aquino is largely popular in the countryside.

They are Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Gregorio Honasan, Loren Legarda, Antonio Trillanes 4th and Aquilino Pimentel 3rd.

The remaining six votes needed to convict the Chief Justice would be easily attainable from Ramon Revilla Jr., Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Juan Ponce Enrile, Pia Cayetano, Ferdinand Marcos Jr., Vicente Sotto 3rd, Sergio Osmena 2nd and Lito Lapid.

All of them were winners in the 2010 elections.

Only four are not eligible for reelection in 2013—Joker Arroyo, Pangilinan, Panfilo Lacson and Manuel Villar.

If the President wants to play safe, he could easily get the votes of Pangilinan and Lacson, who, according to The Times source, are salivating for Cabinet posts anyway.

After two weeks, the impeachment court headed by Senate President Enrile was yet to finish presentation of evidence.

Although the impeachment court ruled against the Corona family members taking the witness stand, the prosecution was successful in having the statements of assets, liabilities and net worth of the Chief Justice shown to the senators-judges, including his income-tax returns.

Meanwhile, Malacañang deputy spokesman Abigail Valte on Sunday said that it was still premature to find out the voting inclination of the senator-judges.

“At this point in the proceedings, it is still premature to gauge the senator-judges. The senators are very judicious and comporting as to their behavior,” Valte added.

She said that the voting inclination of the senator-judges would be evident when proceedings at the Senate impeachment court are about to wind up or when the voting on the fate of Corona is fast approaching.

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