Low budget for high-stakes impeachment trial of Corona

The stakes are high, but the budget is low.

The Senate has set aside P5 million for the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, which will start when the chamber ends its Christmas break on Jan. 16.

Majority Leader Vicente Sotto III said the amount was relatively small because it would cover only logistical requirements such as food and office equipment and supplies. He said the amount would also be spent on the overtime pay of Senate employees during the trial.

‘Over in three months’

“We’re not going to spend a lot,” he told the Inquirer in a previous interview. “Besides, I don’t see the trial dragging on. It would probably be over in three months. That would be very long already.”

Sen. Gregorio Honasan said completing the impeachment trial sooner than later would benefit the Senate.

“The sooner we get this out of the way, the sooner we can attend to the more serious problems of the country,” he said in a separate interview.

Honasan warned against so-called analysts, including the media, “projecting” how senators would vote during the trial. To remove Corona from office, prosecutors from the House of Representatives would need at least 16 affirmative votes in at least one of the eight articles of impeachment against him.

Honasan expressed concern that such projections could be meant to “influence” the public mind even before prosecutors could actually present evidence for the appreciation of the senator-judges.

“Are these all part of public conditioning? But what if the projections are wrong? What if the outcome turns out different? You have to be a Madam Auring to know how senators would vote,” he said.

Honasan acknowledged that public opinion would play a role in the decision-making within the 23-member chamber. But he was confident that he and his colleagues would not decide on the fate of Corona simply based on political interests or affiliation.

‘We’ll all emerge stronger’

“The key here is for us to rise to the occasion,” he said. “After all is said and done, I am confident that we will all emerge stronger, with our institutions more stable. We are all driven by public interest here.”

Senators have promised to spend the holiday break reviewing for the impeachment trial. Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile earlier said he would give Senate President Pro Tempore Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada a crash course on the rules of evidence. He said he wanted to prepare Estrada in case he would not be available as a presiding officer during the trial.