Archive for February, 2012

Prosecutors rest case, confident of Corona conviction

Posted by on February 29, 2012 at 05:19 am

Confident that they had presented enough evidence to secure the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona, House prosecutors dropped Tuesday five charges in the impeachment complaint.

In day 25 of the Corona impeachment trial, lead prosecutor Niel Tupas Jr. said the prosecutors “have already presented a strong case. The evidence we laid down suffices to convict Corona for betrayal of public trust.” (Read more)

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Prosecutors told: Invite associate justice

Posted by on February 28, 2012 at 03:15 am

THE House prosecutors were told Monday not to compel the senators to subpoena Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno but instead invite her to the impeachment trial to avoid “direct collision” between the Senate and Supreme Court.

Defense lawyer Rico Paolo Quicho said in a press briefing after the impeachment trial Monday that the prosecutors are free to invite Sereno, who is being asked to testify on Article VII of the impeachment complaint that tackles Chief Justice Renato Corona’s alleged partiality in granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and former First Gentleman Jose Miguel “Mike” Arroyo. (more)

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BSP insists it did not examine Corona’s accounts

Posted by on February 27, 2012 at 03:12 am

The source of the leaked bank documents of Chief Justice Renato Corona remains mysterious as the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) examiners categorically denied Monday having examined the chief magistrate’s account.

BSP examiner Jerry Leal told the Senate committee on banks at a hearing Monday that Corona’s account was not included in the 112 sample accounts examined from the Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank). (Read more)

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It’s final: No testimony on Corona’s ‘travel perks’

Posted by on February 27, 2012 at 03:11 am

The Senate stood by its ruling Monday against allowing testimony on travel perks that impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona supposedly received from Philippine Airlines (PAL) because these were not properly alleged.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said free travel that Corona and his wife, which prosecutors say show the motive for a reversal in a Supreme Court ruling against PAL, is not in Article III of the impeachment complaint. (Read more)

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Bank insists: Corona records submitted to Bangko Sentral

Posted by on February 27, 2012 at 03:10 am

Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) president Pascual Garcia III insisted Monday that bank records of Chief Justice Renato Corona were among the eight records of politically exposed persons summoned by the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

Garcia told the Senate committee on banks at a hearing Monday that PSBank sent Corona’s signature card from its Katipunan branch after BSP bank examiner Jerry Leal sent an e-mail citing the bank’s failure to tag certain accounts as PEP, or politically-exposed persons. (Read more)

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Senate considers written questions to SC justice

Posted by on February 27, 2012 at 03:09 am

Senator-judges are discussing Monday the possibility of sending written questions to a Supreme Court (SC) justice regarding allegations that Chief Justice Renato Corona manipulated a ruling involving former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Senator Antonio Trillanes IV earlier suggested for prosecutors to just get SC Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno deposition or written interrogatories regarding the deliberations on a temporary restraining order (TRO) that the SC issued in November last year. (Read more)

Filed Under: News

Impeachment court to deliberate on inviting Justice

Posted by on February 26, 2012 at 03:08 am

Senator-judges will deliberate Monday on whether to invite a Supreme Court (SC) associate justice to testify on deliberations in the grant of an injunction on a government travel restriction on Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Prosecutors see testimony from SC Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno as a “nail in the coffin” for impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona. (Read more)

Filed Under: News

Prosecutors want SC justice to testify in Corona trial

Posted by on February 24, 2012 at 05:14 am

THE prosecution panel will file a motion on Monday asking the impeachment court to invite Associate Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno in the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

A senator-judge, meanwhile, proposed to send Sereno written questions to substantiate alleged irregularities in the Corona-led Supreme Court’s decision to block a watch-list order against Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.  (Read more)

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Banal, Umali get colleagues’ support

Posted by on February 24, 2012 at 05:13 am

A GROUP of 188 members of the House of Representatives have come to the rescue of their two colleagues facing possible ethics probe for illegally possessing “leaked” bank documents of impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Movement 188, a group composed of 188 House members who signed the impeachment complaint against Corona, filed on Thursday House Resolution 2181 to support Representatives Reynaldo Umali (Oriental Mindoro) and Jorge Banal (Quezon City) “in their search for truth in connection with the impeachment trial of Corona”. (Read more)

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Impeachment trial strays into discussion on watch-list orders

Posted by on February 24, 2012 at 05:11 am

DISCUSSION at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona on Thursday strayed into the propriety of a Justice department circular that allows travel restrictions on people not yet charged in court.

Senator Panfilo Lacson asked Justice Secretary Leila De Lima to justify the issuance of watch-list orders, which her office can do, and effectively curtails travel abroad without approval from the department. (Read more)

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Enrile: They can ask me to inhibit

Posted by on February 23, 2012 at 05:06 am

THE House prosecution panel can ask Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile to stay away from proceedings if it feels offended at being lectured at, the senate leader said Wednesday.

“They can ask for my exclusion. I’d gladly give it to them. I’ll gladly give it to somebody that will handle it. They do not want to appear before me, they can tell the Senate to withdraw me as presiding officer,” he told reporters. (Read more)

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Rejection of PAL officer’s testimony ‘unfortunate’

Posted by on February 23, 2012 at 05:05 am

THE Senate rejection of the Philippine Airlines (PAL) executive’s testimony at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is unfortunate, Malacañang said Wednesday.

“It’s unfortunate that the Senate President (Juan Ponce Enrile) has decided to disallow the reception for evidence with respect to Article 3,” Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said in a news briefing. (Read more)

Filed Under: News

Defense: De Lima says little

Posted by on February 23, 2012 at 05:04 am

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima testified for around two hours at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice (CJ) Renato Corona on Wednesday, but defense lawyers said she gave little more than a narration of facts.

Defense spokesman and lawyer Tranquil Salvador III said de Lima was only able to testify on the events surrounding the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on a Justice department order to keep Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo from leaving the country.  (Read more)

Filed Under: News

Senate leader: Impeachment court has been very flexible

Posted by on February 22, 2012 at 06:56 am

The impeachment court has been liberal in the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona but there have to be limits, said Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III on Wednesday.

Sotto’s statement came after the spokesmen for the House prosecution team said Tuesday afternoon that the court had been too strict in refusing to have a Philippine Airlines (PAL) executive testify on perks that Corona allegedly received while the airline had a case pending with the Supreme Court. (Read more)

Filed Under: News

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Prosecution press conference after the guilty verdict on Chief Justice Renato Corona on Tuesday, May 29, 2012.

Popular Posts

How the Senator-Judges voted on Article II (Concealing of some of his properties and cash deposits in his SALN
Senators Vote
Edgardo J. Angara
Edgardo J. Angara

GUILTY

"I may grant the CJ plea of honest mistake of judgment but given his broad experience in public law…this willful and deliberate admission together with magnitude of amounts involved amounts to culpable violation."

Joker P. Arroyo
Joker P. Arroyo

NOT GUILTY

"Impeachment is a political process not a political assassination"

Alan Peter Compañero S. Cayetano
Alan Peter S. Cayetano

GUILTY

"If your client cannot explain, I cannot abstain."
If you did not disclose, we have to depose. If you are not fit, you cannot sit.


Pia S. Cayetano
Pia S. Cayetano

GUILTY

"Minor inaccuracies in the SALN...would not amount to betrayal of public trust. But, the failure to declare 2.4 million dollars and some P80 Million pesos is not minor...Once that trust is gone, we must step down to preserve the integrity of the position we hold."

Miriam Defensor Santiago
Miriam Defensor Santiago

NOT GUILTY

"An omission in good faith in the SALN carries a light penalty, and is even allowed to be corrected.  Thus, it is not impeachable...I find it reprehensible that the AMLA document was introduced in evidence, without authentication, as required by the Rules of Evidence."

Franklin M. Drilon
Franklin M. Drilon

GUILTY

"Where our Constitution and our laws require disclosure, he chose the path of concealment. He has lost his moral fitness to serve the people. He has betrayed the public trust. He cannot be Chief Justice a minute longer. "

Juan Ponce Enrile
Juan Ponce Enrile

GUILTY

"With all due respect, I believe that the Respondent Chief Justice's reliance on the absolute confidentiality accorded to foreign currency deposits under Section 8 of Republic Act No. 6426 is grossly misplaced."

Francis 'Chiz' Escudero
Francis G. Escudero

GUILTY

"Ang pinagbabawalan ng FCDU law na mag-release ng impormasyon ukol sa dollar deposits ay ang mga bangko at di ang depositor. Samantala, ang Konstitusyon at R.A. 6713, pinag-uutos na ideklara ng lahat ng opisyal ng pamahalaan ang lahat ng kanilang yaman at pagkakautang. Kung ayaw mo ito ideklara, eh di huwag kang tumakbo para sa, o tumanggap ng anumang, pwesto sa pamahalaan. "

Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
Jinggoy Estrada

GUILTY

"I regret to say that I am not convinced. Because the Chief Justice is a learned man of law. He is in fact, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court - isang opisyal na hindi lamang malalim ang kaalaman sa batas, kundi isang opisyal na may tungkuling basahin kung ano ang ibig sabihin ng mga batas."

Teofisto 'TG' Guingona III
Teofisto Guingona III

GUILTY

"We must protect sanctity of Constitution. Corona's non-disclosure of assets is constitutional perversion in its ultimate form."

Gregorio 'Gringo' Honasan
Gregorio B. Honasan II

GUILTY

"We have not proven if the defendant is corrupt. What is clear is that he is no longer fit to preside over the SC."

Panfilo M. Lacson
Panfilo M. Lacson

GUILTY

"Chief Justice Renato Corona used to work as a senior officer of the tax and corporate counseling group of the tax division of a prominent accounting firm, Sycip Gorres and Velayo and Company. He also taught commercial law, taxation and corporate law at the Ateneo de Manila University for 17 years. I find it hard to believe his testimony that he does not understand accounting."

Manuel 'Lito' M. Lapid
Manuel M. Lapid

GUILTY

"Akala ko totooo ang sinabi niya hindi pala. Pinapaniwalaan ko pa si Congressman Fariñas."

Loren Legarda
Loren B. Legarda

GUILTY

"Truthful SALN disclosure is key element of transparent governance..Public trust is earned through transparent, often voluntary, gestures of honesty by officials in question."

Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr.

NOT GUILTY

"The Chief Justice sufficiently addressed the accusations against him with regard to the filing of his SALN, and the disclosure of his real properties and peso and dollar deposits."

Sergio R. Osmeña III
Sergio R. Osmeña III

GUILTY

"There is more reason to apply the law when the assets in question amount to P180 million...Nowhere in that FCDU law not allow depositors from disclosing their deposits."

Kiko Pangilinan
Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan

GUILTY

"As a lawyer and an officer of the court, it pains and saddens me to say that clearly the Chief Justice displayed a disturbing pattern of dishonesty, willful concealment, and evasion and a blatant and wanton disregard of the provisions of the Constitution on the SALN...Respect for the rule of law will only be realized if punishment is swift in a fair trial."

Aquilino Martin
Aquilino“Koko” Pimentel III

GUILTY

"There is evidence on record that shows respondent Corona didn't declare in his SALNs his properties. Arguments of respondent do not persuade this senator-judge."

Ralph G. Recto
Ralph G. Recto

GUILTY

"The undeclared assets are so huge that it cannot be pressed aside as innocent exclusion"

Ramon 'Bong' <br />  						Revilla, Jr
Ramon Revilla, Jr.

GUILTY

"Through his own direct admission, the Chief Justice failed to properly disclose all his assets in SALN"

Vicente C. Sotto III
Vicente C. Sotto III

GUILTY

" True judgment must come from the people"

 

Antonio F. Trillanes IV
Antonio F.  Trillanes IV

GUILTY

"The claim of commingled funds and confidentiality of dollar deposits will never be accepted as alibis. From now on, no one's untouchable. "

Manny Villar
Manny Villar

GUILTY

"Nahirapan man ako sa aming desisyon, paniwala ko kailangan talaga ideklara and dollar accounts."