Lito Lapid backs calls to conduct impeachment trial in Filipino

By KIMBERLY JANE TAN, GMA News

Published January 24, 2012 10:20am

Admitting that he himself sometimes found it difficult to understand impeachment proceedings, Senator Lito Lapid on Tuesday supported calls to conduct the trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona in Filipino.

"Mas magiging interesado ang masa na makibahagi sa impeachment trial ni Chief Justice Corona kung ang balikatan natin sa Senado ay gagawin sa Filipino," Lapid said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Lapid said the entire proceedings do not have to be translated into Filipino.

"Ang mahalaga ay kahit papaano ay makasali ang mga tulad nating salat sa Ingles na makita ang katotohanan sa paglilitis sa Chief Justice," said Lapid, who was a famous movie actor. Opposing views

On Monday, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said he was open to conducting the proceedings in Filipino. Also on Monday, Akbayan Rep. Arlene Bag-ao, one of the public prosecutors for the impeachment trial, said she agrees with suggestions to use the Filipino language during the Senate proceedings.

“Tama iyon. Marami ngang nagrereklamo na ordinaryong mamamayan. Kung ito nga ay kaso ng mga mamamayan laban kay Chief Justice Corona, dapat bahagi sila sa usapan,” she said in an interview. Several individuals, however, expressed reservations that using the Filipino language could delay the trial or make things more difficult.

In an interview with GMA News Online, defense lawyer Jose Roy III said it would make the proceedings "complicated."

"Mahirap yan kasi medyo technical ang law. Mahirap ata itranslate ang mga legal concept," he said. However, he also said there would not be any problem if the impeachment proceedings would be conducted both in English and Tagalog.

Corona's case In the impeachment complaint, Corona is being accused of the following:

partiality and subservience in cases involving the Arroyo administration;
failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN);
issuance of flip-flopping decisions in final and executory cases;
issuance of the “status quo ante” order against the House of Representatives in the case concerning the impeachment of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez;
decision in favor of gerrymandering in the cases involving 16 newly-created cities, and the promotion of Dinagat Island into a province;
granting temporary restraining order in favor of former President Arroyo; and
failure and refusal to account for the Judicial Development Fund (JDF) and special allowance for the judiciary collections

The Senate's 23 members who are sitting as judges will determine whether Corona, an appointee of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, should be removed from his post.

Senate Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III earlier said the trial may be over by March 23 before Congress goes on its annual Holy Week break. - VVP, GMA News

Tags: litolapid, senate, impeachment, corona, renatocorona