Senators have nearly a month to prepare for a serious responsibility: conducting a fair, credible impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. As the previous administration learned only too well, impeachment – a power vested in the House of Representatives – is a political act, a battle for numbers. But that’s only phase one of the process. The impeachment trial itself must be seen as impartial, with senators voting on the merits of a case rather than partisan considerations.
The trial, if conducted with credibility, can dispel criticism that Congress has become a rubber-stamp of Malacañang. In fact Congress has often been described in the same vein since the restoration of democracy in 1986. When Malacañang and Congress couldn’t see eye-to-eye on the legislative agenda, they were criticized for gridlock and derailing the delivery of basic services.
Corona has come out swinging against his critics led by President Aquino. The Chief Justice has all the right to defend himself, although some quarters have expressed concern that if he survives impeachment, his recent utterances could compromise his participation in future SC deliberations. He should save his best arguments for his trial. He had won points previously for keeping his composure in the face of a frontal harangue by the President, and for saying that he expected a fair trial at the Senate. The Chief Justice should welcome this chance to clear his name.
The Senate, for its part, must ensure that the Chief Justice, the head of a co-equal branch of government, will have no reason to complain that he has been deprived of due process and courteous treatment in his impeachment trial. There must be no room in that trial for senators who think their position has given them the right to treat anyone rudely and with condescension. This is a constitutional process at work, and all parties concerned must show to the nation and the world that the system works.