Prosecution seeks appearance of 4 SC justices before Corona trial

MANILA, Philippines — Four Supreme Court justices have been requested by the prosecution team to appear before the Senate and testify in the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Those requested to testify in the Senate, sitting as an impeachment court, were Associate Justices Martin Villarama, Maria Lourdes Sereno, Bienvenido Reyes and Presbitero Velasco Jr.

“They will testify on the participation of Chief Justice Renato Corona in the Oct. 4, 2011 Supreme Court en banc session, specifically in the deliberations of A.M. No 11-10-1 SC,” said a two-page request for issuance of subpoena, referring to the letters of lawyer Estelito Mendoza in connection with the Supreme Court’s ruling on the illegal retrenchment case filed by the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) against the Philippine Airlines.

The Supreme Court, acting on Mendoza’s letters, decided to recall in October 2011 its Second Division’s “final” ruling ordering the reinstatement of 1,400 PAL flight attendants, who went on strike in 1998.

Mendoza is the legal counsel of PAL.

This alleged flip- flopping by the Supreme Court falls under Article 3 of the impeachment which refers to Corona’s alleged failure “to meet and observe the stringent standards under the Constitution that provided that a member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity and independence in allowing the Supreme Court to act on mere letters filed by a counsel which caused the issuance of flip-flopping decisions in final and executory cases; in creating an excessive entanglement with Mrs. Arroyo through her appointment of his wife to office; and in discussing with litigants cases pending in the Supreme Court.”