Your say: CJ's abrupt exit from Tuesday's trial

Published May 23, 2012 5:38pm

After five long months, the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is finally drawing to a close —but not without an unprecedented twist on the day the chief justice himself testified.

As promised by the defense panel, Chief Justice Renato Corona on Tuesday appeared in court as their last witness. He proceeded to deliver a lengthy opening statement that was interrupted several times by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who appealed to him to get to the point. After a meandering speech that explained his dollar accounts, described a modest, maid-less lifestyle, and castigated President Aquino, the prosecution and even his wife's late uncle, he ended his testimony by announcing, "And now, the Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines wishes to be excused." Then he stood up and walked out of the session hall, on the heels of his wife.

Corona was brought to the Senate's clinic after he complained of dizziness. Defense lawyers said that Corona, who is diabetic, had skipped lunch and was suffering from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar. He is currently being treated at The Medical City in Ortigas.

The "walkout" surprised both the prosecution and defense panels, as well as all who were in attendance —to say nothing of Filipinos around the country and the world who were glued to their TV and computer screens.

Readers on GMA News Online have been interpreting Tuesday's scenario:

From Tito Lyndon Llemos, who thinks Corona's accusers also owe it to the public to show their SALNs to prove their own honesty:

It was unfair for CJ Corona to vent his anger on the Senate floor, and live on national TV, and afterwards evade cross examination. He voluntarily offered himself as witness he shouldn't have used it for his own agenda/propaganda.

However, it is also worthwhile to entertain the challenge that CJ Corona extended to his 188 accusers from the House of Representative and to Sen. Drilon. The accusers should not hide from the defense that they are not the one's on trial, or that they have already filed their SALN and those are public records already. Marami din naman sa kanila ang may mga tinatago. Wag din sila magmalinis. Some branch of the government, or the NGO's like Bayan Muna, PCIJ and the likes should pursue this challenge parallel (with the same vigor when they pursued the impeachment of CJ) with the impeachment process para malaman ng taong bayan ang katotohanan din. All of them, not just the CJ, owe it to the people.

Problem is, is the Palace or Congress ready to bare themselves in public? Or magaling lang ba sila mang-akusa?

From Sam Duel, who thinks Corona's challenge is unnecessary:

Hmm, so imagine someone is accused of theft and his house was to be searched with a warrant and he says to the police 'You can search my house for stolen goods but only if we can search all your homes too'. If the Police do not agree to this it is not because they have something to hide, it's because it is improper. Corona is the one on trial.

From freedomloverboy, who says the presentation of a waiver is voluntary to begin with:

The difference is that there is no "search warrant" for Corona's bank accounts. If the impeachment court is able to find a way to obtain his bank records legally (I think they can do this by ordering the AMLC to do so), then Corona will not be in a position to make conditions. The waiver is a voluntary thing. It is not relevant to the trial, and is meant for public consumption.

In another comment, freeedomloverboy says the Senate should just who strike out the chief magistrate's testimony and proceed with resolution:

I am tempted to say that the Senate should just go ahead, strike out Corona's testimony, ask the defense and prosecution to make their closing statements, and make a vote. However, I really don't see the point in rushing. There is a huge doubt on the truth of the medical condition of Corona, but I predict that the Senate will give him the benefit of the doubt and postpone proceedings. Corona must be counting on this.

I do not see any sense in this plan of Corona. My guess is that he is planning to save face by resigning due to his "medical condition", therefore escaping the need for further cross-examination and a vote by the Senate. That is the one and only way I see this hypoglycemia-heart-attack issue being of any benefit to him.

From Alfred Robinson Pascasio, who thinks the chief justice wasted a golden opportunity to clear his name at Tuesday's trial:

First, while it may be true that only 4 out of the 82 $$ bank accounts are active as of today, however CJ neither denied nor disputed the existence of the other 78 accounts. What he mentioned was they were already "closed", meaning that at one point in time such $$ accounts existed.

Second, although there are only 4 $$ accounts to date, he never mentioned how much money was the current balance of each. He never disclosed the amounts of $$ deposits which he still has in his possession. How much money is involved is yet to be divulged and unraveled. Maybe there are only 4 accounts but they contain 1-2 Million $$ each. This information was avoided and not disclosed by CJ. Is he trying to hide something?

Third, the disputable presumption that he is the owner of all the $$ and PP accounts mentioned in the AMLC report and which he purportedly failed to declare and disclose in his SALN still stands. "Things which a person possesses, or exercises acts of ownership over, are owned by him", that is a disputable presumption under the rules of evidence.

Finally he said that he engaged in the foreign exchange since the 1960's, why did he not disclose and declare his said business interest and financial transactions in his SALN? I think that the main reason why such an allegation of $$ accounts was not included in the impeachment complaint was because no one ever really knew they existed in the first place.

As for the other points raised during the trial, I will no longer contradict and dispute because they are just phony and baloney arguments.

CJ wasted his moment to clear his good name and reputation. What happened yesterday is a major mistake. He made his own undoing.

The prosecution may not be outstanding at offense but nevertheless the defense landed terribly in their defense.

From pilipino, who pointed out the fallacies in Corona's testimony:

Corona employed fallacies in his argument (opening statement) such as:

1) Argumentum ad Verecundiam: (argument from authority or prestige - that he couldn't have have done any wrong because his mom raised him well and that he is no shabby lawyer)

2) Argumentum ad Misericordiam (argument from pity or misery or a related emotion

such as sympathy or compassion is appealed to for the sake of getting a conclusion accepted - paawa epek, persecuted daw siya)

3) Argumentum ad Hominem (abusive and circumstantial): the fallacy of attacking

the character or circumstances of an individual who is advancing a statement or an argument instead of trying to disprove the truth of the statement or the soundness of the argument. Often the argument is characterized simply as a personal attack. - na siya ang tama at nagsasabi ng totoo at si Morales daw ang sinungaling instead of directly proving false the evidence presented in Court by showing his evidence to controvert the former)

I am not a lawyer but an engineer, but I have a good understanding of my PHILO 101

From marti corleone, who thinks no amount of legal defense can change public opinion at this point:

lets call a spade a spade... atty roy, no amount of legal brilliance would exonerate your client from the judging view of the public, you know very well that this is a political trial, your client will be judged accordingly by the senate who obviously will be swayed by public opinion... the stunt your client pulled today lacks the dignity that merits sympathy from the public, instead, backlash and outrage from ordinary folks and former supporters of the chief justice will come your way

From HJ Mirasol, who observed that Corona's parting statement has also been read from the hard copy of the speech:

Lalong halata because if you watch the video again, binabasa nya yung last part na "And now the Chief Justice of the Philippines wishes to be excused", nag pause pa ng konti para masipat yung word na "excused" hahaha

From FOX, who points out that there is a loophole in Corona's health-related excuse for exit:

if indeed he was not feeling well, he could just have instructed his lawyers to ask for a continuance. If nahihilo and he was not thinking correctly, the right thing to do is to let your lawyers come to your rescue.

Au contraire, iba ang nangyari. He declared: AND NOW, THE CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES WISHES TO BE EXCUSED sabay tayo at labas sa session hall. Nung inutusan ni JPE na i lockdown ang senado at hinarangan ng senate sgt. at arms si corona, dun na nagsimula ang drama and here comes the st luke's defense.

Don't need either your medical enlightenment or your socratic emphaty. Know what? if we kill all the doctors in the Philippines, then all our corrupt officials are already behind bars now. Alam mo ba implications nun?

Sa pinas lang nangyayari yan because we allow such prolifiration of st. luke's defense. I think it's time we put a stop to this bruhaha and order Corona to go to the senate session hall even with all those tubes, oxygen tank, ECG's attached to his body with all his doctors right at his back and force him to answer the questions that the prosecutors and senator judges wanted to ask him.

Ang tapang tapang ng mga pronouncements nya. HAHARAPIN KO ANG MGA NAG-AAKUSA SA AKIN... but in the end, bahag din pala ang buntot nya. He's giving every batang a bad name with the way he hides himself behind his doctors.

If he is not physically fit to stand trial then the more reason why he should just have resigned as Chief Justice of the suprenme court. Not because he is accused of wrong doings but because he is not physicallly fit to work and do his job as a chief justice.

What's your say?

— TJD/HS, GMA News

Tags: yoursay, coronaimpeachment