Miriam: It's legal for PNoy to try to influence Corona trial

MANILA, Philippines - Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago sees nothing unlawful in the controversial meeting between President Aquino and Senator Ramon Revilla Jr. during the Corona impeachment trial in 2012.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, Santiago said it is "not a crime" for Aquino to try to influence the outcome of the impeachment trial since it is "both legal and political in nature."

Santiago said since Aquino is also the nominal head of his political party, it is legal for him to try and influence the senator-judges. She said Aquino also "has the right to assure his political survival" but with limitations.

However, if proven that Malacañang gave extra pork barrel funds -- through the Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) -- to the senators who convicted Corona after the trial, Santiago said both Aquino and the senators then committed bribery.

"If President Aquino merely confined himself to attempts to influence the outcome of the impeachment trial last year, he did not commit a crime. But if he bribed the senator-judges to convict the accused, then he is guilty of bribery as prohibited by law and as a ground for his own impeachment under the Constitution," Santiago said.

Revilla bared on Monday in a privilege speech that he met with the President, then Transportation and Communications Sec. Mar Roxas and Budget Sec. Butch Abad before the senators voted in the trial.

He said Aquino personally asked him to convict Corona.

In a privilege speech last year, Senator Jinggoy Estrada revealed that those who voted in favor of conviction received extra pork barrel funds. The Aquino administration later said these funds were allocated through the DAP, a stimulus program which realigns government savings to projects to pump-prime the economy.

Both Revilla and Estrada are facing plunder charges over the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam. In both of their privilege speeches, the senators denied the allegations and hurled back accusations to the administration.

In a televised interview with reporters on Tuesday, Aquino admitted that besides Revilla, he also met with with other senators including Estrada.

Read: PNoy confirms meeting with Jinggoy, other senators during Corona trial

Rehashing an earlier statement from Malacañang, Aquino said he met with the senators only to verify reports that certain groups are trying to pressure the senator-judges to influence the outcome of the trial.

Aquino denied that he pressured the senators to give a guilty verdict to Corona.