Covered ears and other dramatic moments in epic Corona trial

There have been occasions when the Corona impeachment trial has been a courtroom drama par excellence, but not without comedic and even absurd moments.  Perhaps the most dramatic moment has yet to come, with the chief justice himself set to testify on Tuesday, May 22.    The following is a rundown of five of the most dramatic moments so far – as seen on live television.   1. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago vs. Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre   You may or may not always like what Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is saying (and how she says it) but you don’t cover your ears when she does her thing, as a private prosecutor would learn.   Throughout the impeachment trial, the prosecution panel has endured the tongue-lashing of Sen. Santiago with gentlemanly poise.   But not private prosecutor Vitaliano Aguirre.   On February 29, Sen. Santiago berated the prosecution for having dropped five of its eight articles of impeachment, calling them “g*go” and uttering the now infamous “Wha!” (as in “what?!”).   Throughout Sen. Santiago’s sermon, Aguirre, who was sitting with the prosecution panel, covered his ears in full view of the senator-judges and those watching the trial inside the session hall.   Santiago did not actually see Aguirre because a column in the Senate session hall blocked her view but that did not prevent Sen. Jinggoy Estrada from pointing it out later on.    Santiago stormed to the podium and asked the Senate to cite Aguirre in contempt.   “Imagine if a prosecutor does that to any one of us, again!” Santiago exclaimed.   Senate Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile, ever the cool one, intervened and asked Aguirre to explain.    Aguirre complained that if Santiago wanted respect, she should also learn to respect the “human dignity” of the members of the prosecution.   Aguirre further justified his actions: “Kung nakasakit man po ang aktuwasyon ko po, I really did it purposely. Kasi totoo naman po na talagang shrill ang voice  … at nasaktan ang tenga ko eh.”   That further incensed Santiago.   “Kung nasasaktan na pala tenga mo, di sana umalis ka na!” Santiago growled.   “Aalis na nga po sana,” Aguirre responded.   “Granted!” Santiago said.   Enrile broke up the verbal tussle between the two and called a recess. Santiago rushed towards Aguirre and glaring asked: “Nanghahamon ka?! Nanghahamon ka?!”   Reporters thought Santiago would punch Aguirre in the face but cooler heads prevailed. Aguirre was ushered out of the Senate hall and banished from its premises for as long as the trial is ongoing.   Aguirre consequently resigned from the prosecution panel and was last seen judging a Davao beauty contest as one of the minor celebrities created by this epic trial.    2. Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales vs. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago   Yes, I’ve seen Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales roast petitioners during oral arguments in the Supreme Court when she was still associate justice, and Sen. Miriam Defensor Santiago lash out at her critics, declaring that she eats death threats for breakfast. But I've never seen the both of them together, locking horns in an epic battle between two strong women equally learned in law (and former young colleagues at the Department of Justice).   So when it happened, everyone in the Senate gallery held their breath in suspense.   Carpio-Morales had just testified that Corona's alleged 82 dollar bank accounts were based on information obtained from the Anti-Money Laundering Council. Sen. Santiago rose to the podium to quiz Morales about the extent of the latter’s powers.   Morales immediately asked her staff seated beside her to hand her an array of books. She knew what was about to come.   Santiago posited: Carpio-Morales violated the requirement of a court order under the Anti-Money Laundering Act prior to obtaining information from the Anti-Money Laundering Council (AMLC).   The senator expressed fears Carpio-Morales’ actions would set a dangerous precedent.   “Are you of the opinion therefore, that should somebody file a complaint against any of us senators, or members of the House, you can just go straight to AMLC and ask for our records without going to the court?” Santiago inquired.   “It depends on the complaint,” Carpio-Morales answered.   But Santiago was not about to drop the subject: “I know that!  But after you have made a decision that the complaint was worthy of further consideration, is it your considered opinion that, such as in this case, you can go directly to AMLC and not follow the procedure?”   “Again, your honor, I said, that it would depend on the complaint,” Carpio-Morales said.   “You’re fudging your answer,” Santiago interrupted.   “No. You said ….” Carpio-Morales tried to explain.   “You are arguing with a senator-judge!” Miriam shot back.   “I am sorry. Mea culpa,” the Ombudsman offered.   “I accept your apology,” Santiago said.   “Noted,” Carpio-Morales responded, looking at the senator in the eye throughout their exchange. Santiago returned to her seat in disgust.   Later Santiago told the media that the exchange was nothing personal, saying she and Morales are friends.   “We are contemporaries at that UP College of Law. I accepted her apology and that’s the end of it,” Santiago said, smiling.     3.  Prosecution drops five of its eight articles of impeachment   In a shocking move, the house prosecution panel dropped five of its eight articles of impeachment against the Chief Justice on February 28.   Lead prosecutor Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas, Jr. declared to the Senate that three articles were enough to convict Corona.   Among those they would pursue, Tupas, Jr. said, were Article 2 or the non-filing of Corona’s statement of assets, liabilities and networth (SALN), and the non-declaration of certain assets; Article 3 or acting on mere letters from respondent in the Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Flight Attendants’ and Stewards’ Association of the Philippines (FASAP) case; and Article 7 or granting of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the watchlist order issued by the Department of Justice against former President and Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.   Tupas was lucky that Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago was feeling ill and was absent that day. But the reckoning with the senator came the next day.   On February 29, Sen. Santiago scolded the prosecution: “I felt like creeping back to bed and adopting a fetal position. I no longer know what universe I am in. Ang yayabang ng nagsasabi ng ganyan, mga g*go naman! Wha!,” Santiago said, complaining that it was the first time, given her experience as a trial judge, that she encountered that action by prosecutors.    The prosecution asked the Senate to strike out the word “g*go” from the record.   It was during this berating that private prosecutor Atty. Vitaliano Aguirre covered both his ears.   The prosecution has since focused its energies on Article 2, their strongest case against Corona.   4. Supreme Court clerk of court produces Corona's SALN   Prior to the testimony of Supreme Court Clerk of Court Atty. Enriquetta Vidal early on in the trial, last January 18, the prosecution had not seen even a shadow of the SALNs of Corona from 2002-2010. The Supreme Court has famously guarded the secrecy of justices' SALNs.    To the surprise of everyone watching the proceedings, Vidal upon questioning from Sen. Franklin Drilon told the Senate that she had brought with her copies of the Chief Justice’s SALN.   Almost immediately, members of the prosecution panel swarmed to the witness stand, all attempting to get a glimpse of the documents.   Senate Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile had to restore order and asked them to allow the secretariat to first mark the documents. Enrile warned the parties against taking photos of the SALN.   It would be the last time the prosecution would get testimonial or documentary evidence from the Supreme Court.   On February 14, the Supreme Court issued a resolution barring any testimonies of associate justices down to court employees without the approval of the Supreme Court sitting en banc.   Article 7 of the impeachment complaint, whose primary evidence was the dissenting opinion of Associate Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno, all but collapsed due to this.   5. Defense panel alleges P100-M bribery attempt of senator-judges by the Palace   On February 12, a Sunday, the defense panel called a press conference for an important revelation. Clad in red, Corona's lawyers revealed that sources allegedly told them that the Palace, through Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., was attempting to bribe some senator-judges in order to convict Corona. The price? P100-million pesos.   The next day, senators were fuming mad.   Senate Pro Tempore Leader Sen. Jinggoy Estrada called the claim “incredulous” and challenged the defense panel to name names (it did not, citing client-lawyer confidentiality).   Defense lawyer Judd Roy apologized to the court and explained they did not directly say that some senators have indeed been bribed.   But that did not prevent the court from citing him in contempt. Senate Presiding Officer Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile announced that the court would decide the penalty at a later date (which would turn out to be a reprimand).   “I thought it’s either life imprisonment or death penalty,” lead defense counsel Justice Serafin Cuevas said in an attempt to make light of the situation.   But Enrile was not amused.   “We don’t go that far. That might be misunderstood by the public. But we must assert the dignity and honor of this court,” Enrile said. - HS, GMA News