5,000 Corona supporters gather outside SC

MANILA, Philippines – About 5,000 anti-impeachment supporters gathered in front of the Supreme Court in Ermita, Manila Thursday to show support for beleaguered Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Senior Police Officer 1 Albert De Guzman said that an undetermined number of policemen have been deployed to maintain security in the area.

Corona waved to the crowd from the terrace of the Supreme Court.

INQUIRER.net reported that the high tribunal is scheduled to hold a special en banc session this Thursday afternoon to discuss the petition of Corona to nullify the ongoing impeachment trial and the Articles of Impeachment filed against him.

The report also said that the Supreme Court was expected to decide on a petition by PSBank to stop the impeachment court from compelling them to present before the impeachment court Corona’s dollar accounts.

Meanwhile, Supreme Court employees, wearing red, held a short program for Corona.

Jojo Guerrero, president of the Supreme Court Employees Association, denied that they coordinated with the anti-impeachment supporters.

“They have thrown to the public the decision on these proceedings. This is what they want,” Guerrero told reporters.

He said the prosecution was “not only resorting to fishing expedition but dynamite fishing.”

“The investigation is being conducted now that the trial is ongoing. They should have conducted it before they transmitted the articles of impeachment to the Senate.