SC justices to hold special session on Corona impeachment issue
Justices of the Supreme Court will hold a special en banc deliberation Thursday to discuss the House prosecution panel’s request for the Senate impeachment court to summon a number of them and certain documents during the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
The special session will start at 2 p.m. on Thursday, based on a consensus reached by the SC justices at the end of a an en banc meeting Tuesday, said SC spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez.
The session on Thursday will delve into the policy the Supreme Court will adopt once the individual justices receive their respective subpoenas and if they will attend the Corona trial, considering that the impeachment case may eventually reach the high tribunal, according to the administrator.
The special session is necessary for the justices to have ample time to deliberate on the issue at hand, he added.
“This was taken up this morning, but they had to resume deliberations because some reflections or views are still being circulated,” Marquez noted, saying, “Some justices are submitting written views and all these views have to be consolidated and would have to be deliberated upon again.”
A definite stand
“My understanding is that, they don’t want to wait for next Tuesday anymore because the subpoenas may be issued right away and there might not be sufficient time if they wait for Tuesday…” Marquez added.
The high court is in the process of taking a definite stand on issues related to the impeachment trial, the court administrator said, as “(it) goes to the very essence of the separation of powers among co-equal branches of the government and the matters that the justices can testify to.”
The chief justice will not attend the special session, and Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will likely take on the role of presiding judge, Marquez noted.
The prosecution team requested the Senate to summon SC justices — including Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Martin Villarama, Maria Lourdes Sereno and Bienvenido Reyes — to the Corona trial and serve as witnesses under Article 3 of the impeachment complaint.
In Article 3, the prosecution complained Corona committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by failing to meet and observe the stringent standards of Article VIII, section 7 (3) of the Constitution that states, “[a] member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence.” — VS, GMA News
The special session will start at 2 p.m. on Thursday, based on a consensus reached by the SC justices at the end of a an en banc meeting Tuesday, said SC spokesman and administrator Jose Midas Marquez.
The session on Thursday will delve into the policy the Supreme Court will adopt once the individual justices receive their respective subpoenas and if they will attend the Corona trial, considering that the impeachment case may eventually reach the high tribunal, according to the administrator.
The special session is necessary for the justices to have ample time to deliberate on the issue at hand, he added.
“This was taken up this morning, but they had to resume deliberations because some reflections or views are still being circulated,” Marquez noted, saying, “Some justices are submitting written views and all these views have to be consolidated and would have to be deliberated upon again.”
A definite stand
“My understanding is that, they don’t want to wait for next Tuesday anymore because the subpoenas may be issued right away and there might not be sufficient time if they wait for Tuesday…” Marquez added.
The high court is in the process of taking a definite stand on issues related to the impeachment trial, the court administrator said, as “(it) goes to the very essence of the separation of powers among co-equal branches of the government and the matters that the justices can testify to.”
The chief justice will not attend the special session, and Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will likely take on the role of presiding judge, Marquez noted.
The prosecution team requested the Senate to summon SC justices — including Associate Justices Presbitero Velasco Jr., Martin Villarama, Maria Lourdes Sereno and Bienvenido Reyes — to the Corona trial and serve as witnesses under Article 3 of the impeachment complaint.
In Article 3, the prosecution complained Corona committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayal of public trust by failing to meet and observe the stringent standards of Article VIII, section 7 (3) of the Constitution that states, “[a] member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence.” — VS, GMA News
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