Corona: Senator offered term-sharing with Carpio

MANILA, Philippines - Chief Justice Renato Corona Jr. today revealed that an ally of President Benigno Aquino III had asked him if he would be amenable to a term-sharing agreement with Supreme Court Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Corona said in a radio interview that Senator Teofisto Guingona III asked him last year if he would agree to retire early to give way to the appointment of Carpio as Chief Justice.

Corona said he told Guingona, who ran under Aquino’s Liberal Party in the 2010 national polls, that he would remain in his post and finish his fixed term.

The chief magistrate said that prior to the meeting last year, he met with Aquino in 2010 and he was asked to give his opinion Executive Order (EO) 1, which sought to create a Truth Commission and investigate the alleged corruption and other crimes committed by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and other members of her administration.

Corona said he told the President that EO 1 should be amended and should not single out Arroyo because this would violate the Constitutional guarantee of equal protection. Aquino had said Arroyo’s appointment of Corona as the chief justice was illegal because it violated the appointment bans in the Constitution and the Omnibus Election Code.

Guingona, meanwhile, denied Corona’s allegation.

“We did have lunch with the Chief Justice on July 22, 2011, but it was a purely social event and nothing of that sort (discussion about a possible term-sharing with Carpio) ever came out. His statement was totally untrue and baseless,” Guingona said in a television interview.

The senator said Corona was invited to the social event because Guingona’s father, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona, knew the chief justice because they both served under the Ramos administration. Guingona said he was also once a law student of Corona.

“Suffice it to say that I’m disappointed because this statement is totally untrue. This is a rehash and this issue has been brought up before,” Guingona said.

“Instead of coming out with these statements, he (Corona) should focus on the merits of the case. It would be hypocritical to say that we are not disappointed but, we will not be swayed one way or another,” he said.

Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives for allegedly committing culpable violation of the Constitution by failing to disclose all his assets in his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Networth and betrayed public trust by allegedly dictating the Supreme Court's decisions on cases involving Arroyo.

The prosecution panel, led by members of the House of Representatives, has concluded the presentation of its witnesses and evidence in support of the impeachment complaint.

Upon resumption of the impeachment trial next week, the defense panel will begin presenting its own evidence and witnesses. Corona’s wife, Cristina, is expected to take the witness stand.

Corona had also said that he will open his dollar deposits with the Philippine Savings Bank at the impeachment trial.