Surveys on Corona impeachment may be unlawful – Miriam

Surveys, like the one conducted Wednesday by some students of University of the Philippines (UP) on the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, may be violating the law, Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago warned Friday.   "Nobody is allowed to make or say something that might influence the judge, that might constitute contempt of court,” Santiago said in an interview with GMA News TV's "News To Go" anchor Howie Severino, who is also editor-in-chief of GMA News Online.   “… [The survey is] an expression claiming to act for a certain bigger community about the merits of the case, kaya baka labag ‘yan sa sub judice rule," the senator-judge noted.   The university should kick out the students behind that survey, which showed Corona no longer enjoy the trust of many students, Santiago said during the trial on Wednesday.    On Friday, however, she said they probably won't hold these students accountable under the law.   "Kami sa impeachment court hangga't maaari hindi na kami kumikibo para mapagbigyan ang freedom of the press at ang free speech under the Bill of Rights. Pagbibigyan na lang namin dahil masyado pang magulo ‘yun," she said.   "Nasa sa ating publiko na lang, pati ang media natin, pati itong mga student leaders kuno, sila na mismo ang magsunod ng sub judice rule.  Kung sa media naman pwede rin naming i-file for contempt at i-show cause order...Pero mas mabuti na magtiwala na lang kami sa publiko kung ano ginagawa nitong mga survey firms na ito o itong mag kolumnista," she added.   Still, she insisted the survey by the UP students was not really reliable.   "It's not a scientific survey, it's only a random survey and it's misleading.  Hindi naman ito official survey ng UP administration, UP faculty or UP student council. These are just little groups of students and I think they have leftist leaning," she said.   "That is their right to be leftist in our multi-political society, wala namang bawal na mag-express ng kanyang political opinion. But these are leftist groups and they should identify themselves as that," Santiago added. 'Purely student-initiated'   In a separate interview with Severino on “News To Go,” UP University Student Council member Jules Guiang denied that they had an ulterior motive in releasing the survey.   "It's a purely student-initiated survey. We want to strike a balance, na marinig naman ng mga senador-judges natin na kung ano pulso ng mga mag-aaral natin especially ng mga taga-UP," he said.   A disclaimer was on the survey saying it was a random sampling of some students in UP, Guiang noted. He said the survey was conducted among students of the School of Economics, College of Social Sciences and Philosophy, College of Social Work and Community Development, and National College of Public Administration and Governance.   "This is only the first phase of the survey, kasi ni-recognize namin na prosecution palang nakakapag-present kaya nililinaw namin na meron pang second phase kung saan naman magsasagawa ulit tayo ng panibagong survey at ‘yung mga respondents ay papasagutin natin muli para makita natin kung magbabago ba ‘yung stand nila or mananatili paring pareho ang stand nila… basically developmental ang ginagawa natin," explained the student leader.   UP College of Law Professor Atty. Rowena Daroy-Morales also defended the students.   "Wala akong narinig [kay] Mr. Guiang na ito ay boses ng studentry kundi nung mga nag-participate lang dun sa survey... There was never any representation na ito ang nangangatawan sa mga boses ng mga estudyante ng UP…  Wala namang ganun," she said in a separate interview.   If Santiago didn't really think much of the survey, then why was she fussing about it, said Daroy-Morales.   "Kung ganun nga talaga kaliit at hindi dapat pansinin medyo nagulat lang ako bakit binigyan nating pansin, napansin tuloy nating lahat," she added.   In an earlier interview with reporters, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile advised UP students to focus on their studies instead of surveys.   "Mag-aral muna sila para mag-top sila sa Bar… [As] an alumnus of UP, ‘yun ang advice ko sa kanila. Bago kayo magbibigay ng… magbibitaw ng salita, show us, show us that you deserve to make that statement by your performance," the Senate impeachment court’s presiding officer.   No UP student made it to the Top 10 of this year’s Bar exams. Enrile and Santiago were both graduates of the UP College of Law. — VS/HS, GMA News