'Noy supports Corona impeachment'

PNoy on impeachment move vs. chief justice by junpasaylo

MANILA, Philippines - President Benigno Aquino III supports the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona, his ally in the House of Representatives confirmed today.

"I informed the President and that we have decided [to push through with the move to impeach Corona], and he said he is supportive of the move," Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., a member of President Aquno's Liberal Party and one of the prime movers of the impeachment of the Supreme Court's (SC) chief.

Tupas said that he approached Aquino on Sunday after members of the majority in the lower chamber of Congress agreed to impeach Corona.

"Last week the leaders in the lower house decided that we have a strong case and we should proceed with the impeachment of the chief justice," he said.

He said he made sure that the leaders of the House and the ruling coalition support the move before he approached Aquino.

He, however, denied that Aquino ordered them to impeach the Corona.

"The President did not ask me to initiate. Actually, we initiated it, as I said, last year," Tupas said.

He explained that he ordered the formation of a small research group for the impeachment of Corona after the SC issued a status quo ante order while the lower chamber was preparing for the impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.

The high court issued the status quo ante order on Sept. 14, 2010.

The impeachment complaint initiated by Tupas and other congressman cited the said status quo ante order as well as the SC’s flip-flopping decisions on the conversion of 16 towns into cities and Dinagat Island into a province. Lawmakers also took note of the high court’s paving the way for the creation of the second district of Camarines Sur to accommodate Mrs. Arroyo’s son Dato.

Cavite Rep. Crispin Remulla, also an ally of President Aquino but declined to sign the complaint, said that the "flip-flopping" decisions of the SC on the conversion of 16 towns into cities can be used as basis for the impeachment.

Remulla explained that Corona could have rallied all the magistrates of the SC and reminded them that they were not supposed to break their own rules, particularly on the cityhood case.

Tupas and other allies of President Aquino last night moved swiftly to impeach Corona for alleged betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution, and graft and corruption.

A total of 188 congressman signed the impeachment complaint drafted by the justice committee, leveling eight charges against Corona.

Members of the Liberal Party-led majority coalition in the House of Representatives convened in a caucus at past 3 p.m.

The complaint was directly transmitted to the Senate as it surpassed the minimum 95 votes for transmittal.

The articles of impeachments were hand delivered by Tupas and other complainants to the Senate at 10 a.m. today.

Asked which among the eight charges is the strongest, Tupas said that the justice committee failed to determine which is the strongest because "all eight articles are very strong."

He said that the 11 prosecutors who will be elected by the congressmen would given the task to decide which among the eight articles should be first presented at the Senate, which will sit as an impeachment court.

He mentioned in particular the strong "documentary and testimonial" evidence on the graft and corruption charge against Corona, who is accused by the complainants of using for his personal gains the judiciary's funds.

"Yes we have proof. We will submit evidence, both documentary and testimonial during the trial," Tupas said.

Senate is ready

Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago, who had just been elected as judge in the International Criminal Court, said that the Senate is already prepared for Corona's impeachment trial.

"The Senate is ready because we were already prepared, holding meetings on procedure for the Gutierrez impeachment which was aborted," Santiago said in a television interview.

She said that what the senators only have to decide is the "level of proof" of standard of evidence that they would "require to convict."

"There are many standards, it is substantial evidence in other cases, in a criminal case it's proof beyond reasonable doubt. In other cases, it is clear convincing cases," she explained. "The Senate must decide what kind of volume, what is the quality, what is the weight of evidence that is essential for us to convict."

Santiago also said that the Senate may decide to allow the individual senators to create their own standards of proof in deciding Corona's case.

However, she said she is worried if the Senate decides not to adopt a single standard as "many senators are now lawyers" and that they may rely heavily on their consultants.

"And their consultants might be the ones casting the vote in the final decision," she said.

Santiago and Sen. Francis Escudero both said that the prosecutors only need to convince the senators on one article to convict Corona.

Escudero said that Corona will  be asked by the Senate to respond to the eight articles of impeachment.

The impeachment trial may start January next year.

Corona is the third impeachable officer impeached in the post-martial law history of Congress.

The first was former President Joseph Estrada, who was deposed while still under trial by the Senate. The second was former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned days before her Senate trial. -- Angelo L. Gutierrez