Senators deny Iglesia ni Cristo lobbying for Corona acquittal

Published March 5, 2012 5:12pm

Several senators on Monday denied that the influential Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) approached them to lobby for the acquittal of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

In separate interviews, Senators Panfilo Lacson, Antonio Trillanes IV, and Gregorio Honasan belied former Senate President Ernesto Maceda's claim that the Iglesia ni Cristo is courting senators into voting against Corona's conviction.

Corona's lead defense counsel, former Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas, is a prominent member of the religious group.

In an article posted on the Manila Times website Monday, Maceda said some senators had admitted to him that the Iglesia ni Cristo was lobbying for Corona's acquittal. The article did not identify the senators who had supposedly made such an admission to Maceda.

“They [Iglesia ni Cristo] are quite influential and believe me, their influence in the minds of a senator is not only for a senator running for re-election in 2013 but in a senator aspiring for president or vice president in 2016,” the article quoted Maceda as saying.

To which, Lacson said: "Wala naman [akong alam]. Ako malapit sa INC pero wala pa as of now, wala pang sinasabi, wala pang nagpapahiwatig so I don't believe so."

Trillanes and Honasan likewise denied having any personal knowledge of any attempts.

"Sa akin personally wala pa. Lahat naman pinapakinggan natin pero it doesnt mean na magpapa-impluwensya tayo," Trillanes said.

For his part, Honasan said: "Walang attempt, walang lumalapit, wala akong personal knowledge." Look deeper?

Still, Honasan said that if Maceda had given such information, then they must look into it.

"Pag si former SP Maceda ang nagsalita, I guess we have to look deeper. I’m not implying anything... but if Sen. Maceda has information, then I guess we have to listen," he said.

"Hindi sapat na magkaron ng ganitong allegation dahil seryoso 'yan. In the same manner na yung sinabi ng defense na ginagapang ng Malacañang yung ibang senator-judges, ganun din context nyan," Honasan added.

Corona's camp had also earlier accused Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr. of urging senator-judges not to honor the Supreme Court order stopping them from examining Corona's dollar accounts.

Jose Roy, one of the defense lawyers, even claimed that Malacañang had allotted P100 million for the "soft" projects of each senator-judge from the government's savings.

Ochoa and several senators have since denied the accusation.

Honasan said he doubts the senators would be influenced by Iglesia ni Cristo's command votes if ever the news were true.

"Naniniwala ako na on the whole, we will all be very impartial, very objective," he said.

The terms of Senators Trillanes, Honasan, Lacson, Edgardo Angara, Joker Arroyo, Alan Peter Cayetano, Francis Escudero, Loren Legarda, Francis Pangilinan, Koko Pimentel, and Manny Villar will expire in 2013.

But Angara, Joker, Lacson, Pangilinan, and Villar are already on their second terms so they can't seek re-election.

Only Escudero, Legarda, Pimentel, and Trillanes have declared that they will seek re-election in 2013. Cayetano and Honasan, meanwhile, have yet to make any announcement. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ/KBK/HS, GMA News

Tags: coronaimpeachment, iglesianicristo