Impeachment ‘cease-fire’

Prosecutors declare Holy Week 'silence'

By WENDELL VIGILIA and EVANGELINE DE VERA

THE House prosecution panel yesterday declared a "cessation of hostilities" during the entire Holy Week on issues concerning the Corona impeachment trial.

It expects the camp of Chief Justice Renato Corona to reciprocate the "good gesture," said Rep. Sherwin Tugna, a member of the prosecution panel.

This week, the prosecution said it might still hold press briefings.

The impeachment trial was suspended last Thursday for the Lenten break of Congress, which will last until May 6.

Marikina Rep. Miro Quimbo, lead prosecution spokesman, said both parties and the whole nation should take time to reflect during the Holy Week. "Ipagdasal natin ang lahat," he said.

The defense panel spent the past two weeks presenting witnesses and evidence against Article II of the Articles of Impeachment which accuses Corona of failing to file his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) and for not completely declaring all his assets.

Corona’s lawyers have asked for a maximum of five weeks to present its case, including evidence against the allegations in Articles III and VII.

Corona yesterday belied talks he has properties in the US. His lawyer Ramon Esguerra on Saturday said the chief justice does not own properties outside the country.

Corona said the addresses cited in a blog article were the apartments in Mountainview, California rented by his two daughters, Charina and Carla, who are both licensed physical therapists in the US, in various times over the past 14 years.

The other property, a house in upscale Bayshore, Tampa in Florida, is owned by a family friend, he said adding this was where they lived when they visited Tampa and Orlando.

"These were therefore temporary mailing addresses at those various times. The house in Bayshore, Tampa FL is…also a mailing address. We do not own any property in the US," he said.

The March 24 article in the blog of Raissa Robles, titled "Does Renato C. Corona have a clone living in the US?" said "a certain Renato C. Corona is linked to addresses in Tampa, Florida and Mountain View, California by US public records."

Corona, asked what could be the motive behind the allegations, said: "Obvious naman ang motive at kung sino ang nagpopondo nitong all-out black propaganda against me."

Corona earlier blamed three persons for perpetrating the supposed black propaganda against him – President Aquino, for his (Corona’s) stance against the P10-billion compensation to Hacienda Luisita owners; Associate Justice Antonio Carpio, his rival for the top judicial post and whose former law firm Corona had previously linked in the demolition jobs against him; and defeated vice presidential candidate and Liberal Party president Transportation Secretary Manuel Roxas II, who has a pending electoral protest at the SC sitting as the Presidential Electoral Tribunal.

Meanwhile, Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago said the series of surveys taken by Pulse Asia are contemptuous and apparently intended to manipulate the results of the impeachment trial.

Santiago was referring to the March 20 Ulat ng Bayan national poll made by Pulse Asia, which showed 47 percent of survey respondents believe Corona is guilty of the charges in the Articles of Impeachment.

Two days later, the polling firm again released results of another survey showing that almost six out of 10 Filipinos disapprove of Corona.

Santiago said all these surveys are meant to condition the minds of the public "so that extraordinary pressure may be put on senator-judges to rule for Corona’s conviction."

Santiago said that she and other senator-judges should not get affected by these "peripheral issues."

"Tuloy pa rin itong Pulse Asia company na ito, sige pa rin sila, but we are not affected by this clear effort to manipulate the results of the impeachment…What they don’t explain to the public is that the trust and approval ratings of justices are always low," she said.

Santiago said unlike political figures in the executive and legislative branches, the justices are normally outside the radar of public opinion because of the kind of work that they do, which is to reach decisions on cases based on merits and lawfulness and without regard for whether it would be a popular opinion.

"Kaya mababa because justices are not political. Ano naman ang alam ng tao sa trabaho nila? It’s confidential...So maliwanag na these are all intended to influence the impeachment court. This is very blatant, it’s already contempt," she said.

She warned that any more stunts like those surveys could lead the parties to move for a declaration of mistrial.

"Nakalagay sa Constitution na pag sobrang trial by publicity, malamang may mistrial doon," she said.