Palace: Too early to speculate on Corona trial's outcome

Malacañang cautioned the public Sunday against speculating on the outcome of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s impeachment trial this early, saying the proceedings may still have a long way to go.   Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte pointed out the Senate, acting as the impeachment court, is still tackling the first of eight articles of impeachment lodged against Corona, an appointee of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.   “Siguro at this point medyo speculation pa ito. Nasa Article 2 pa lang ito, may pitong naghihintay masalang. Let’s defer judgment on this, ongoing pa ang trial,” she said on government-run dzRB radio.   Valte referred to an article by former Sen. Francisco Tatad, which claimed Corona’s acquittal may render President Benigno Aquino III a “lame duck” president.   Tatad, in an article published on The Manila Times, said Aquino may suffer the consequences of an acquittal since he personally exerted efforts to remove Corona from office.   Valte declined to comment on reported surveys supposedly showing Filipinos favor a Corona acquittal at this time.   “Baka pwede banggitin kung ano ito? Di ko alam anong survey SWS or Pulse Asia, we’d like to see more details before we make any comment on that,” she said.   On the other hand, Valte said more “evidence” will be presented by the prosecution in the coming days. She noted the prosecution had sought access to Corona’s bank records.   She also said Bureau of Internal Revenue commissioner Kim Henares may return to the witness stand for cross-examination by the defense.   “At this point medyo premature pa dahil nakikita natin unti-unti pa tinatahi ang kaso, sa Article 2 pa tayo,” she said.   Article II of the impeachment complaint accuses Corona of not properly disclosing his Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN). – KBK, GMA News