Palace keeps distance on calls for Corona to inhibit from GMA cases

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is keeping its distance on calls for Chief Justice Renato Corona – an appointee of former President Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo – to inhibit from proceedings involving her electoral sabotage case.

“We do not want to aggravate the situation between the judiciary and the executive branch by saying something for or against the inhibition,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said yesterday.

“It would exacerbate the situation between the judiciary and the executive branch,” he said.

Lacierda, a lawyer, said that while the Palace had complained in the past about adverse rulings of the SC, “we’ve never spoken about personalities.”

“If and when necessary, we will be issuing a statement but for now, we are deferring comment,” he said.

“I’m not a Liberal Party member so I would have to ask the President and Liberal Party members,” Lacierda said, when asked if the LP – the ruling party – would make a party stand to impeach Corona.

Reliable sources have revealed plans of some groups to file an impeachment complaint against Corona – a former chief of staff of Arroyo. Corona’s term is to end in 2018.

Aquino allies have flexed muscle on many occasions, one of which had led to the impeachment by the House of Representatives of Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez last May.

A Corona impeachment is seen to pave the way for the appointment of the next most senior magistrate, Antonio Carpio, who had a falling out with the Arroyos in 2006.

The executive department’s rift with the judiciary began even before Aquino could warm his seat as president, with the midnight appointment of Corona by Arroyo.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima’s disregard of an SC temporary restraining order on the travel ban on Arroyo was seen to have widened the rift. Of the 15 SC justices, only three are Aquino appointees.

‘Horrendous nonsense’

The demand by a civil society group for Corona to inhibit from cases involving Arroyo is “horrendous nonsense,” said lawyer Salvador Panelo.

In a statement, Panelo said there was no basis for the newly formed “Bantay Gloria Network” to make Corona inhibit from Arroyo cases just because of his being her appointee.

The Bantay Gloria Network raised its demand through former party-list representative Risa Hontiveros-Baraquel, Juan Carlos Tejano and Leah Navarro of the Black and White Movement, and national broadband network whistle blower Rodolfo Lozada Jr.

President Aquino’s appointees in the SC are Associate Justices Ma. Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Perlas-Bernabe. Corona and 11 other justices were appointed by Arroyo.

In December last year, Sereno voted in favor of the constitutionality of the first executive order of Aquino that created a truth commission to investigate anomalies during Arroyo’s administration.

More recently, she voted against the issuance of a temporary restraining order (TRO) on the DOJ travel ban on Arroyo.

She also voted for the distribution of Hacienda Luisita land to farmers but said the owners of the land should be compensated based on 2006 valuation of the property, which was significantly higher than the 1989 value originally sought. Her colleagues rejected her position.

In defending the SC under Corona, Panelo also cited the high court’s rejection of Gutierrez’s petition to stop the impeachment proceedings against her.

‘GMA’s alter ego’

But administration allies at the House of Representatives said the demand for Corona to inhibit was not just because of his being an Arroyo appointee but also on his track record of being the former president’s “alter ego.”

“Chief Justice Corona worked directly under Mrs. Arroyo for several years and had become her alter ego. This cannot be denied. His close association with Mrs. Arroyo for several years diminishes his reliability to arrive at a fair decision on cases involving the former president,” House Deputy Speaker Erin Tañada said.– With Edu Punay, Marvin Sy, Jess Diaz, Aie Balagtas See, Sheila Crisostomo