MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews/29 May) – Chief Justice Renato Corona has been found guilty of culpable violation of the constitution for not declaring all his assets in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and 19 other senators voted in favor of conviction.
Aside from Enrile, the following senators voted for conviction: Edgardo Angara, Alan Peter Cayetano, Pia Cayetano, Franklin Drilon, Jinggoy Estrada, Francis Escudero, Teofisto Guingona III, Gregorio Honasan, Panfilo Lacson, Lito Lapid, Loren Legarda, Sergio Osmeña III, Francis Pangilinan, Aquilino Pimentel III, Ralph Recto, Bong Revilla Jr., Vicente Sotto III, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Manuel Villar.
Senator Bong Revilla Jr. provided the 16th vote that secured Corona’s conviction in today’s televised conclusion of the impeachment trial that took 44 days and spanned almost five months.
Only Senators Joker Arroyo, Miriam Defensor-Santiago, and Ferdinand Marcos Jr. voted for acquittal. Eight votes were required to acquit the chief justice.
The senators who voted to convict Corona cited the respondent’s own admission that he owned peso and dollar accounts that were not included in his SALN.
Corona, in his testimony last week, explained that he based his non-declaration of his dollar deposits on the “absolute secrecy” provision in Republic Act 6426. The senators, however, said the confidentiality clause is addressed to banks and not to depositors, in particular public officials.
“A government official should declare his assets and liabilities. But no one can examine the bank accounts without his written consent,” Senator Pia Cayetano said, adding RA 6713, the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees, offers no exceptions.
At least three senators who voted to convict Corona cited the case of Delsa Flores, a court interpreter in Panabo City, Davao del Norte who was dismissed for not disclosing her sari-sari store in her SALN.
Pia Cayetano, Legarda, and Pangilinan argued that if a lowly court employee was removed for not declaring a much lesser asset, a higher standard should apply to the chief justice.
“Ang batas para kay Juan ay batas din para kay Renato,” (The law that applies to Juan should also apply to Renato) Pimentel stressed.
But Arroyo said the impeachment of Corona became a political assassination not a political process.
He said what started in the House of Representatives was not an impeachment, adding, “I cannot imagine the act of removing a chief justice on account of a SALN.”
Meanwhile, in a statement, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the conviction of Corona has strengthened the country’s democratic institutions.
He said what started in the House of Representatives was not an impeachment, adding, “I cannot imagine the act of removing a chief justice on the count of a SALN.”
“This is not the law of the constitution, it is only naked power as it was in 1972,” Arroyo said referring to the declaration of martial law by President Ferdinand E. Marcos.
Defensor-Santiago maintained that errors or omissions in the SALN did not constitute an impeachable offense and can be corrected.
On Corona’s admission that he had dollar accounts, she said that the chief justice did not make a confession, only an admission with a legal explanation.
“If the defendant wanted to hide his accounts, he would have used another name,” Defensor-Santiago, speaking in Filipino, said.
Enrile, the last to vote, presented a summary of how the “national drama” went. He said the complaint appeared to be hastily crafted, and hit the prosecution panel for resorting to “trial by publicity” and giving media pieces of information that “provoked” the Senate.
Enrile, however, noted that the defense did not present documentary evidence to refute the documents presented by Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales on Corona’s dollar accounts. The documents reportedly came from the Anti-Money Laundering Council.
Meanwhile, in statement, Deputy Presidential Spokesperson Abigail Valte said the conviction of Corona has strengthened the country’s democratic institutions.
“Mr. Corona is merely the public face of the things that ail our justice system. Let us never forget that those who come to court, be they rich or poor, must do so in the expectation of receiving impartial justice from those who uphold both the spirit and the letter of the law. The verdict of the Senate is a step forward in terms of restoring public confidence in our courts, and trust in the members of the judiciary,” Valte said.
Corona’s conviction means removal from office and ineligibility to hold any elective or appointive office in government.
Corona is the first chief justice and the first official to be removed from office through impeachment. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)