Palace: No Corona 'overkill'

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang said yesterday officials from the executive branch would be available to testify in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, not because of “overkill” or as part of a “fishing expedition” but on orders of the Senate impeachment court.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte denied over radio station dzRB that the government’s entire machinery was being used against Corona. She said officials were simply complying with subpoenaes issued by the Senate.

“That is not voluntary. We just follow the compulsion of the impeachment court that is manifested via the subpoena,” she said.

“The overkill - we will leave that to the judgment of Senator (Joker) Arroyo. But as to the participation of certain officials of the executive, we do it because we are subpoenaed and it is a courtesy and as a sign of respect that we extend to the impeachment court,” Valte said.

She said the list of more than 100 witnesses mentioned by the prosecution team was not yet final and that the deposition of witnesses was something that would require the permission of the Senate impeachment court.

“That is what you call mode of discovery. However, according to the prosecution team—I’ve been listening to their interviews... the list of witnesses is not final, in the sense that even our senators and even in ordinary courts, they can inquire as to the nature of the testimony and say, that is no longer needed because we have this already,” Valte said.

On Saturday, the Palace spokesperson also denied the administration was resorting to black propaganda against Corona amid the failure of the prosecution to present its case effectively.

In his Facebook account, lawyer Theodore Te said it would not be good to call media practitioners and Supreme Court justices to the witness stand.

“Putting media practitioners as well as sitting Supreme Court Justices as possible witnesses is just simply horribly wrong. Not only does it leave the trial open to a challenge that it was, after all, the institution of the SC itself that is now being tried, it also opens a door that should, at the moment, remain closed,” Te said.

Several journalists have already asked the prosecution team not to present them as witnesses, including Marites Vitug and Criselda Yabes.

The journalists are only two of the more than 100 witnesses that the prosecution wants to testify in the eight articles of impeachment against Corona.

Te said bringing justices to the witness stand would weaken the institutions put up by the Constitution and the magistrates should collectively decline such a plan.

“Similarly, calling media practitioners to testify on work product is indicative of a short cut approach to finding the truth; much of the work that media has done in reporting these matters is already part of the public consciousness and may already be considered subject of the collective, institutional and even personal knowledge of the Senate, acting as jury; there is really no need to call media practitioners to testify,” he said.