Santiago defends her previous Corona defense

MANILA, Philippines—Just last month, she came to the defense of Supreme Court Chief Renato Corona when he was being asked to inhibit from any cases involving former president and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

Now, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago wants her previous stand in favor of Corona be taken out of the ongoing impeachment trial against the Chief Justice.

Santiago explained that her previous statements were made before the impeachment case was filed against the Chief Justice last December 14.

“But you noticed that after the articles of impeachment had been officially filed with us, I tried not to say anything concerning the merit of the case. So it should be taken as off the record of the impeachment court,” she said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“Many of us in politics answered according to our own independent analysis,” she said.

Santiago said her defense then of Corona was just a “layman’s opinion.”

“But now, I’m hearing the evidence. Noon wala akong ebidensya so of course I was only answering on the basis on general principles of law,” she further said.