House spent P5.7 million for Corona impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines - The House of Representatives has spent around P5.7 million in the nearly five-month trial of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona for betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution, a senior lawmaker said yesterday.

An Waray party-list Rep. Florencio Noel, chairman of the House committee on accounts, said the expenses exceeded the P5-million budget allocated for the prosecution panel.

Noel said the budget was the same amount set aside for the aborted trial of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who resigned last year after being impeached.

Of the amount spent, he said around P4.4 million have been liquidated.

Noel said the bulk of the expenses went to food, supplies, equipment rental and several reimbursements.

“Eventually, we will make an itemized report of our expenses and we will release it to the media,” he said.

He said the expenditure was relatively small since the same amount was spent in the aborted impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada in 2000.

Defense lawyers  to return to lucrative  private practice

After rendering pro bono services for Corona, defense lawyers will return to more lucrative private practice.

Defense lead counsel retired justice Serafin Cuevas will not go on vacation after the trial but continue to work as a private lawyer.

“No, I’m handling cases of big corporations so I cannot rest,” the 83-year-old legal luminary told reporters during a break in the impeachment trial yesterday.

Cuevas gamely posed with spectators and members of the media for pictures.

Defense spokesperson Karen Jimeno, meanwhile, said she is leaving for Hong Kong on Friday to attend her husband’s graduation.

“The week after that I’m leaving for the US for my oath taking because I passed their bar exam, I’ll stay there for a while,” she said.

Jimeno graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines College of Law in 2005. She went to Harvard Law School for her Master of Laws.

She said she is considering practicing law in the US.

She said she believes Corona would be acquitted if the senator-judges would base their decisions on evidence and laws.               – With Helen Flores