UNDER HEAVY FIRE “I assure you I do not intend to leave and do as they please,” says Chief Justice Renato C. Corona LYN RILLON
Hours before the House of Representatives moved to impeach him on Monday, Chief Justice Renato Corona revealed a clandestine attempt to unseat him “by any means, fair or foul,” and warned the move could “destroy our democracy.”
Breaking his silence on an unprecedented attack mounted by President Benigno Aquino III against the high tribunal for allegedly blocking his reformist agenda, Corona urged his staff to remain vigilant against “enemies of the court.”
“We do not want to see a constitutional crisis befall our democracy. But if we are challenged to defend our independence, we shall not meekly walk away,” Corona said at Monday morning’s flag ceremony at the Supreme Court compound.
In his speeches before the Makati Business Club on December 1 and the National Criminal Justice Summit on December 5, Mr. Aquino questioned the high court’s impartiality in cases involving former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and impugned the legitimacy of Corona.
The Supreme Court later issued an official statement saying it was “disturbed” by the presidential attacks against the tribunal, but the chief magistrate held his peace in the spirit of Christmas.
“Reports confirmed the mobilization of a secret plan to oust me from office by any means, fair or foul,” Corona said Monday, reading from a prepared statement.
“I assure you I do not intend to leave (and) do as they please. I do not intend to leave you to fight this battle alone,” Corona stressed, adding that his decision earlier to remain silent did not mean “anything more than caution and patience” and that it should not be misconstrued “as a sign of weakness.”
He said the discovery of the supposed plot “that will destroy our democracy” prompted him to remind the court employees to “remain ready and vigilant.”
“We must keep our guard, otherwise the enemies of the court will surely take advantage of our good faith,” he said, without elaborating.
Promises to keep
Sounding like a field commander rallying his troops to a battle, Corona declared that “your Chief Justice continues to be in command and will lead the fight against any and all who dare to destroy the court and the independence of the judiciary.”
“I have been quietly preparing and will be ready to take more determined steps in the coming days,” he said.
“Do not forget, I am here. I am not going anywhere. I am your defender and most of all, I am your Chief Justice. Together we will face these challenges and fight all who dare to destroy the court and our system of justice under the Constitution.”
Corona delivered his strongly worded speech before hundreds of Supreme Court employees and seven justices, among them Associate Justices Bienvenido Reyes and Estela Perlas-Bernabe, both appointees of the President.
The Chief Justice then hit back at his critics. He said the job of the members of the judiciary was “not borne of electoral campaigns or the quest for publicity, but demanded by our principles and our sworn duty to uphold and defend the Constitution.”
“We have great plans for the court and promises to keep to the Filipino people… We must dedicate our lives and actions to building our edifice and securing the independence that is promised and demanded by the Constitution,” Corona said.
“This is our path, the only path to a principled life. By continuing with uninterrupted dedication to our work, we will prove all our critics and detractors wrong.”
Palace in denial
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte denied the Palace had a hand in the purported plot against Corona and expressed surprise at the strong words that Corona used.
At the installation of Luis Antonio Tagle as archbishop of Manila, Mr. Aquino’s sisters Pinky, Ballsy and Viel were civil to Corona, relegated to the second row, as they exchanged the sign of peace.
The presidential sisters were seated in the front row, along with politicians. During Communion, Ballsy offered to step aside for Corona, but he graciously declined.
President Aquino has assailed the purported haste with which the Supreme Court had issued a temporary restraining order (TRO) against a Department of Justice travel ban on Arroyo, who was then seeking medical treatment abroad for a rare bone ailment.
A TRO is an extraordinary measure granted courts to prevent irreparable harm and protect an individual from awesome state powers. The justice department ignored the TRO, claiming Arroyo was attempting to evade prosecution.
Arroyo is now under hospital arrest at Veterans Memorial Medical Center in Quezon City after the Commission on Elections, meeting swiftly, decided to file electoral sabotage charges against her. Pasay City Regional Trial Court Judge Jesus Mupas then hastily found probable cause in the case and issued an arrest warrant against her.
The case against Arroyo stemmed from a statement by a provincial administrator of Maguindanao province that he overheard then President Arroyo order a 12-0 sweep for administration candidates in the 2007 senatorial elections. The administrator is facing charges in connection with the 2009 massacre of 57 people in Maguindanao.
In front of the Chief Justice, Mr. Aquino said Corona’s appointment was illegal because it was done within two months before the end of Arroyo’s term in June 2010, citing a constitutional prohibition.
The high tribunal had ruled that the cited ban did not apply to Corona and other members of the judiciary and the executive branch later acknowledged the court ruling. With reports from Christine O. Avendaño and Philip C. Tubeza