CJ to continue to defend himself in impeach trial, defense says

MANILA, Philippines - Amid calls for him to step down from office, Chief Justice Renato Corona will continue to defend himself in the impeachment trial and wait for the verdict, a spokesman for the defense said yesterday.

Lawyer Tranquil Salvador said the renewed calls for Corona to resign or retire, supposedly coming from the prosecution panel, were a sign of weakness on their part.

Salvador said he was asked about a statement purportedly coming from Cavite Rep. Joseph Emilio Abaya, the impeachment manager of the House of Representatives, for the Chief Justice to resign now in order to avoid being "crucified."

"The Chief Justice will not resign and he has been fairly consistent with his statement. I think it is just a way to weaken him or again to condition the public that he will resign," Salvador said.

"But again, to my mind, this shows the weakness of their case. If you think your case is strong, you will not ask the person you are suing to resign. You would want to hold him liable. You would want to go through the process and complete the process. Why ask him to resign if you feel your case is strong?" he added.

Salvador reiterated Corona has "complete faith and trust in the (impeachment) process" and that he will see his case through to the end.

"They said that before he gets crucified he should resign. But if your case is strong, you want to see the case through until its completion. Why even peddle the idea of resignation?" he said.

The impeachment trial was suspended last Thursday for the Lenten break of Congress, which will last until May 6.

The defense panel has spent two weeks presenting its case on Article 2 of the Articles of Impeachment but mostly on the properties allegedly owned by the Chief Justice.

Salvador said it would take the defense panel a maximum of five weeks to present its entire case, including their response to the allegations contained in Articles 3 and 7 of the Articles of Impeachment.

He said the defense panel has been able to prove that Corona had the means to purchase the five properties that he owns.

Salvador said their last witness, former Manila mayor Joselito Atienza, was also able to show that Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc. (BGEI), owned by the family of the Chief Justice's wife Ma. Cristina Corona, existed and had assets contrary to what the prosecution was claiming.

With the testimony of Atienza, Salvador said the defense panel was able to show that the city government of Manila purchased a property owned by BGEI through a negotiated sale and the P34.7 million in proceeds were held in trust by Mrs. Corona.

Salvador said they were able to show that Corona took out a loan of P11 million from the P34.7 million of BGEI, part of which he used to pay for his purchase of a property in the La Vista subdivision in Quezon City and paid in full over the years.

"It showed that Basa Guidote had funds. They (prosecution) were trying to say that Basa Guidote no longer existed, that it did not have any funds and that the P11 million borrowed was just an alibi," Salvador said in Filipino.

He said the prosecution would eventually explain the circumstances surrounding the loan made by the Chief Justice as well as the deposit of the money in the bank accounts that he and his wife held when trial resumes in May.

"As to the properties, we're done. But as to matters on the (bank) accounts, we'll leave it there for now," Salvador said.

He also clarified the Chief Justice and his wife could still testify if the need arises.

But presently Salvador said the defense panel has been able to effectively prove its case even without the testimony of either Corona.

"We see no need at this time. We were able to explain the 45 properties. That (testifying) is for him to decide on," Salvador said.

Salvador also noted it is premature for the prosecution to be talking about presenting the relatives of Mrs. Corona as rebuttal witnesses on the BGEI issue since the defense's turn in presenting its case has not yet ended.

He said the prosecution should wait until the defense's presentation has ended and then ask the court for permission to present their rebuttal witnesses or evidence as they feel fit.

Sen. Gregorio Honasan, on the other hand, said he would use the Lenten break to reflect on what has been presented by the prosecution and defense panels since January in order to come out with a fair judgment of the case.

Honasan admitted there are still many loose ends that have to be clarified, including the alleged omissions made by Corona in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.