MANILA, Philippines – A spokesman for the defense said Tuesday that they welcomed the senator-judges’ move to get hold of engineers’ reports and insurance claims on Chief Justice Renato Corona’s Bellagio unit in order to shed light on the reasons for the reduction given to Corona as disclosed by a witness at the resumption of the impeachment trial on the same day.
“It is the senator-judges’ right to ask for documents and we welcome that action,” said lawyer Tranquil Salvador III.
Salvador was also quick to clarify that it was a “special discount” and not a “special favor” that the chief magistrate availed of, explaining in jest to reporters who used the term that “buti hindi pa ako inaantok. Delikado [yan] sa anti-graft [law], napakagaling [mo] magtanong.”
Noli Hernandez, Megaworld Corp. senior vice president for marketing and sales, testified that the discount was P1 million and not P10 million, adding “hindi naman masama ang diskwento [discounts aren’t bad]. Sinong ayaw ng konting discount [Who doesn’t want a little discount]?”
The amount of time needed in presenting the prosecution’s witnesses was deemed by Salvador as a “risk we have to face”, adding that it can in turn become advantageous to their team if “by the time we present, people may have forgotten [the prosecution’s actions].”