MANILA, Philippines - Ombudsman Conchita Carpio Morales on Wednesday said she is willing to appear as a witness at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona if the Senate summons her.
"I will obey the Senate," Morales said.
Corona's lawyers on Monday said the Chief Justice is willing to take the witness stand if Morales and the complainants, who alleged that he owns $10-million bank deposits, would also appear before the impeachment court.
Ramon Esguerra, one of Corona's lawyers, said Corona became more willing to appear before the impeachment court after seeing copies of bank documents submitted to the Office of the Ombudsman on his alleged foreign currency deposits.
Acting on the complaints of former Akbayan party-list representative Risa Hontiveros and Akbayan party-list Rep. Walden Bello, Morales ordered the investigation of Corona's alleged dollar deposits.
The Office of the Ombudsman discovered in its investigation the supposed $10-million bank deposits of Corona. Morales' office has asked Corona to explain the dollar deposits.
Besides Morales, Bello and Hontiveros, Corona's defense team also asked the impeachment court to subpoena complainants Harvey Keh, Gibby Gores, Albert Concepcion, Ernest Calayag, Moises Albiento, Tristan Zinampan and Emmanuel Chu Santos.
Keh, one of the conveners of the reform group Kaya Natin Movement, said he is also willing to appear as witness at the impeachment trial if he is subpoenaed by the Senate.
"I will respect and abide by the subpoena," Keh said.
Senators won't be rude
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, sitting as presiding judge of the impeachment court, told reporters at the Senate that he has already issued subpoenas to Morales, Bello, Hontiveros, Keh and Santos.
Enrile said that despite the impeachment court's earlier ruling that it will not compel a co-equal member of Congress to appear in the trial, he decided to issue a subpoena to Bello because he waived his inter-parliamentary immunity by filing a complaint on the matter at the Office of the Ombudsman.
"Since he is a complainant, my position is that he has waived his immunity, inter-parliamentary immunity," the senator said.
Enrile hinted that aside from the $10-million bank deposits, Corona may also be asked on other matters by the senator-judges once he takes the witness stand.
"I cannot anticipate that. It is up to the Chief Justice to defend himself or not... Walang kailangang waiver doon basta kung anong tanungin kapag naging testigo si Chief Justice, nasa kanya 'yun if he will answer or not," the senator said.
The senator, meanwhile, assured Corona that the senator-judges will not be "abrasive or disrespectful."
"We are going to grant him all courtesies due him as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. There's no one who will insult him, be rude to him," he said.
He also assured that the senator-judges will grant Morales the same courtesy.
Enrile, however, warned Corona and Morales that their decisions to take the witness stand would have implications.
"When a question is propounded to them, it is up to them to answer or not. If they don't answer, there's an implication of the non-answer. If they answer, there's also an implication of the answer," he said. -- with Dennis Carcamo