MANILA, Philippines - Inaasahang magiging kapana-panabik ngayon ang oral argument na itinakda ni Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile para magbigay ng kanilang mga argumento ang depensa at prosecution.
Ayon kay Senator-Judge Tito Sotto, ngayong alas-2 ng hapon ang oral argument matapos kumpletuhin ng depensa ang kanilang offer of evidence noong Biyernes kung saan ay idineklara ni Sen. Enrile na ang kaso ni Corona ay submitted for resolution na.
“Each of the three articles of impeachment still remaining --- Articles II, III and VII --- will be voted on in separate voting rounds. But if a verdict of “guilty” is reached in the first round on Article II, the court will no longer proceed to Article III; similarly, when it reaches a “guilty” verdict in Article III, senator-judges will no longer have to vote on Article VII,” wika pa ni Sotto.
“It is also crucial because both defense and prosecution have virtually no dispute on whether or not Corona excluded items from his SALN, as the chief justice admitted doing so last Friday. He said he excluded completely all his $2.4 million accounts from his SALN because he felt protected by the Foreign Currency Deposits Act. He excluded some of his P80-million peso accounts because there were “co-mingled” funds that belonged to his wife’s side of the family, or were funds of his children held in trust,” giit pa ni Sotto.
Bibigyan lamang ng 2-minuto ang bawat senador upang ipaliwanag ang kanilang boto.
Sa panig ng prosekusyon, si lead prosecutor Niel Tupas Jr. at si deputy lead prosecutor Rodolfo Farinas ang magsasagawa ng final arguments, habang si lead counsel Serafin Cuevas at Dean delos Angeles sa panig naman ng depensa.
Nagpahayag na rin ng kahandaan ang kampo ni Cuevas at sinabing pinasadahan na nila ang lahat ng transcript at record kaya’t wala na umanong balakid sa kanilang depensa kasabay ng paninindigan na si Corona ay walang nilabag sa Konstitusyon at wala ring betrayal of public trust.
Hindi naman inaasahan na dadalo pa si Corona sa Martes dahil hindi na kailangan ang kanyang presensiya. (Rudy Andal/Gemma Garcia)