TG: Just a social lunch

MANILA, Philippines - It was a “purely social” lunch, and term sharing was never discussed.

This was the reaction yesterday of Sen. Teofisto “TG” Guingona III in denying Chief Justice Renato Corona’s claims that he was offered a term-sharing agreement with Senior Associate Justice Antonio Carpio.

Guingona though confirmed he did have lunch with Corona at the house of his father, former Vice President Teofisto Guingona Jr., last year but denied making the proposal to the Chief Justice.

“That’s an old issue. I already said that it was not true,” he said.

“There was a lunch in my father’s house. But it was purely social, it was one year ago. So I don’t know why that has to come out, that’s totally untrue,” he added.

Guingona stressed he never raised the issue at all, not even in passing.

Just as Corona stated in the interview, Guingona said he was a student of the Chief Justice at the Ateneo de Manila University and that was how they knew each other.

In a separate interview over ANC, Guingona said Corona also knew his father personally because they once served together in government.

“This was long before the impeachment. I was his student in Ateneo. So we knew each other already. We knew each other before and my father and he knew each other before also,” Guingona said.

Guingona said he was bothered by the statements of Corona but said this would not affect his work as a judge in the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice.

“Naturally, because I said it’s not true. I’m bothered by it. But nevertheless I would like to focus on the matter at hand, which is the merits of the trial,” he said.