Posted by admin on March 27, 2012 at 04:15 am
COMMISSION on Audit (COA) released a report disallowing the 2001 payment of P34.7 million by City of Manila to the family of Renato Corona’s wife.
The release came after ex-Manila mayor Lito Atienza’s testimony at the impeachment trial of the Supreme Court chief justice and 11 years after payment. “Why only now?” Atienza complained. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 27, 2012 at 04:14 am
ISN’T it funny that we react to the latest Pulse Asia survey on Chief Justice Renato Corona as if the Senate impeachment proceedings were like the popular American television show, Family Feud?
On one end of the spectrum, there is the defense team and Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago fulminating that the survey is contemptuous because it is an attempt to obstruct or degrade justice. On the other end, there is the prosecution engaging in self-serving exultation as if the survey results made up for the grievous stumbles that they committed through the most part of their presentation of evidence. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 27, 2012 at 04:13 am
ONE should give it to journalist Raissa Robles. No, anti-Coronas should give it to this South China Morning Post (Hong Kong) correspondent. She has created a blog which is being read by thousands of Filipinos interested in “Philippine politics and beyond” here and abroad. And her investigative effort and the contribution of her blog’s “cyber warriors” she collectively calls “Plaza Miranda” seem to be paying off.
Over the weekend, Corona was forced to respond to raissarobles.com’s March 24, 2012 post titled, “Does Renato C. Corona have a clone living in the US?” That article questioned why the name “Renato C. Corona” would be linked in Internet searches to two properties in the United States. Corona immediately denied owning US properties. His lawyers questioned Robles’s motive in writing about it. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 27, 2012 at 04:12 am
Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago always straddles the extreme, so only she among the senator-judges could issue threats against pollsters and the media for the survey done in the midst of the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona.
What got her goat was the recent Pulse Asia survey whose results showed, among others, that 47 of the respondents believe Corona is guilty of the charges he is facing. Santiago had also criticized the student council of the University of the Philippines (UP) for releasing a survey result that showed most of the respondents don’t trust Corona. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 27, 2012 at 04:11 am
TWO weeks into the turn of embattled Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona to present evidence and witnesses to disprove allegations against him in his own impeachment trial, more questions are arising and popping up instead of refuting what the prosecution has so far presented.
His defense panel has been plugging holes instead of addressing squarely his failure to fully and truthfully declare his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth and explaining his peso deposits and dollar account. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 25, 2012 at 04:16 am
FIRST, there’s some confusion about voice of the people being voice of God. We’re told scholar Alcuin’s letter to Emperor Charlemagne, which originated “Vox populi, vox Dei,” warned against it.
Alcuin said, “We should not listen to those who keep saying ‘voice of the people is voice of God,’ since turbulence of the crowd is always very close to madness.” (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 25, 2012 at 03:27 am
NOT even a denial from Chief Justice Renato Corona himself can stop his accusers in the House of Representatives from pursuing a probe into the magistrate’s alleged properties in the United States.
Aurora Representative Juan Edgardo “Sonny” Angara assured this Sunday following Corona’s statement debunking a report by investigative journalist Raissa Robles on his supposed dwellings in Tampa, Florida and Mountain View, California. (Read more)
Filed Under: News
Posted by admin on March 24, 2012 at 03:26 am
The prosecution admitted Saturday that a journalist blog post stating that a certain “Renato C. Corona” owns properties in the United States is highly suspicious, but will first verify it.
Raissa Robles, in her blog post, said a document obtained by “Yvonne” from US public records showed a “Renato C. Corona” owned properties in Tampa, Florida and Mountain View, California. (Read more)
Filed Under: News
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 04:05 am
ROAR and furor greeted the suggestion that the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of other government officials be disclosed, apart from Chief Justice (CJ) Renato Corona and his fellow Supreme Court justices. Understandably, objections, dissent and protestation come from those who do not want their properties revealed or their other dealings disclosed, in utter violation of laws mandating their disclosure to the public.
In the face of such hard stance towards revelation of assets, liabilities and net worth of government officials and workers, there should be a stricter law made to force them into submission and ferret out the truth on their valuables and holdings. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 03:59 am
IT’S just unfortunate that the Senate acting as impeachment court, primarily its presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile, barred weeks ago from the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona the testimony of a Philippine Airlines (PAL) executive.
PAL vice president for sales Enrique Javier would have given us another perspective of the flip-flopping of the Supreme Court in the pending case of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (Fasap). Javier would have talked about PAL platinum card privileges given to VIPs, including Corona and his wife. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 03:58 am
THIS is one show that is holding the whole nation in deep suspense. People who did not even know what the powers of a chief justice (CJ) of the Supreme Court (SC) are, and how much he is being paid by the tax-paying public, have suddenly become aware of these facts.
The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is decidedly a historical event and a telling national experience, considering that this is the first time in our history to have to impeach a CJ. To know the truth about this issue has somehow taken on a moral necessity for us. (Read more)
Filed Under: Commentary
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 03:57 am
Proceeds from the sale of a commercial lot owned by the family of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s wife Cristina ended up in her account, the prosecution told the impeachment court on Thursday.
Private prosecutor Renato Samonte Jr. said the P34.7-million check issued by the Manila City Government as a result of the negotiated sale of the 1,020-square-meter property was deposited in Land Bank of the Philippines-Malacañang branch. (Read more)
Filed Under: News
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 03:56 am
Former Manila Mayor Lito Atienza on Thursday confirmed that Chief Justice Renato Corona accompanied his wife Cristina to talk over the sale of the land owned by his spouse’s family.
This took place in Atienza’s office at an unspecified date, which stemmed from Cristina’s reluctance to accept the city government’s plan to expropriate the lot owned by the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI). (Read more)
Filed Under: News
Posted by admin on March 23, 2012 at 03:24 am
IF HE only had his way, Chief Justice Renato Corona said prosecutors who accused him of owning 45 properties that later turned out to be incorrect should apologize in public.
“Much as we want to get an apology, we cannot force this to the prosecutors. Saying sorry for a harm done is a personal decision,” Corona said. (Read more)
Filed Under: News
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 |
"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 |
NOT GUILTY "Impeachment is a political process not a political assassination" |
 Alan Peter S. Cayetano |
"If your client cannot explain, I cannot abstain."
|
 Pia S. Cayetano |
"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 |
"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 |
"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 |
"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 G. Escudero |
"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 Estrada |
"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 Guingona III |
"We must protect sanctity of Constitution. Corona's non-disclosure of assets is constitutional perversion in its ultimate form." |
 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 |
"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 M. Lapid |
GUILTY "Akala ko totooo ang sinabi niya hindi pala. Pinapaniwalaan ko pa si Congressman Fariñas." |
 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 R. Marcos, Jr. |
"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 |
"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." |
 Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan |
"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“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 |
"The undeclared assets are so huge that it cannot be pressed aside as innocent exclusion" |
 Ramon Revilla, Jr. |
"Through his own direct admission, the Chief Justice failed to properly disclose all his assets in SALN" |
 Vicente C. Sotto III |
GUILTY " True judgment must come from the people"
|
 Antonio F. Trillanes IV |
"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 |
"Nahirapan man ako sa aming desisyon, paniwala ko kailangan talaga ideklara and dollar accounts." |
