Souvenir impeachment shirts sold as Corona trial resumes

As the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona resumed this week, "souvenir" T-shirts bearing quotable quotes from the first 26 days of the trial were offered for sale. The shirts, initially available in black and white, were not meant to issue a political statement, according to seller Leonel Abasola, one of the reporters covering the trial.

"It was not meant to make a political statement. This is purely a souvenir," Abasola said. The quotes in the initial batch of shirts included "Wha!... iMpeAchMent 101" and "We Submit! ... iMPEAChmEnt 101." Each shirt cost P250, Abasola said. "Wha!" was the term popularized by Sen. Miriam Santiago when she berated prosecution lawyers for their supposed unpreparedness. On the other hand, "We submit" was an often-repeated phrase by lawyers of both the prosecution and defense during the trial. Abasola had made similar shirts in 2008, with quotes from Rodolfo Noel Lozada Jr., a witness in the $329.48-million ZTE broadband network mess. His Lozada-themed shirts had included the slogans "Moderate your greed," a reference to Lozada's suggestion to officials of the Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo administration, who were linked to broadband project scandal. — LBG, GMA News