Noy says fight not yet over, reforms to continue

MANILA, Philippines - Saying the fight is not yet over, President Aquino served notice yesterday that his government will not stop going after those who try to block its way in implementing reforms.

He said it was nothing personal, but the purpose was to fix the system, “because while there remains those who wish to take off lady justice’s blindfold, the fight goes on.” 

“Whoever you are, however high your office, if you have wronged the people then you will answer for it,” Aquino said in Filipino.

“We have to go through this process, but this is the first step to ensure that those who act like kings and feel they’re above the law will still have to answer to the law,” he said.

“Patas na ang laban (the fight is now a fair battle),” he added.

The President also thanked the members of the prosecution team, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and the other senator-judges who voted to convict former chief justice Renato Corona.

He also cited the efforts of the defense team headed by retired justice Serafin Cuevas, who he said have contributed in unearthing the truth, wittingly or unwittingly.

The President said Corona has only himself to blame for his fate.

He said it was Corona’s decision not to declare his assets in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth that prompted the filing of an impeachment complaint against him.

He said Corona deserved to be removed from his post, having been the epitome of corruption in the judiciary.

Courtesy call on P-Noy

Members of the prosecution panel paid a courtesy call on President Aquino after the Senate impeachment court handed down the guilty verdict Tuesday night. “President Aquino met most of them for the first time and thanked them for volunteering to help,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in a text message sent to Palace reporters yesterday. 

Valte said the meeting was “unplanned.” 

“The members of the prosecution, including the private prosecutors, members of the secretariat and staff were received by the President in an impromptu call last night,” she said.

Several sport utility vehicles with plate number 8 were seen lining up at the entrance of the presidential guesthouse Tuesday night. 

Malacañang had lauded the decision of the impeachment court, saying the guilty verdict is a major leap toward restoring public confidence in the country’s judicial system.

“Our democratic institutions have been strengthened and have been proven to work,” Valte said in a press statement following the Senate decision.

“Corona is merely the public face of the things that ail our justice system. Let us never forget that those who come to court, be they rich or poor, must do so in the expectation of receiving impartial justice from those who uphold both the spirit and the letter of the law,” she said.