Aquino spokesman fears Senate could become SC puppet

Presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang on Saturday expressed fear that the Senate might become “a puppet of the Supreme Court” if it allows the high court to interfere with its decisions as the “sole” trier of impeached officials such as Chief Justice Renato Corona.

Asked to comment on the views of some senators that the Senate as an impeachment court should obey  the Supreme Court’s order stopping any inquiry into Corona’s alleged dollar accounts, Edwin Lacierda, President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman, said, “What would happen if you allow all the interference from the Supreme Court?”

Lacierda said the defense could likewise go up to the Supreme Court to ask the tribunal to declare that the impeachment court acted with grave abuse of discretion when it allowed the presentation of Corona’s multi-million-peso bank accounts that weren’t declared in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

“When they go up to the Supreme Court, and the Supreme Court would again issue a TRO and it would again make the evidence inadmissible, slowly all the judgment, all the decisions and interlocutory orders of the Senate impeachment court would be questioned by the Supreme Court,” Lacierda said over the state-run radio dzRB.

“So what would happen to the Senate impeachment court? Be a puppet of the Supreme Court so that all its actions can be questioned by the Supreme Court? What would become of the provision of the Constitution that the Senate impeachment court would be the sole trier of impeachment cases? It would be rendered useless if this is what’s going to happen,” he added.

Lacierda also dismissed the idea Corona has a million supporters who could spill out on Edsa (Epifanio de los Santos Avenue) to express support for the impeached magistrate should the Senate ignore the  Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order on the dollar accounts.

“I don’t think there will be people massing up in the streets,” Lacierda said.

He also reacted to Inquirer’s use of photograph of Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos beside that of a waving Corona beside his wife Tina on the balcony of the Supreme Court on the newspaper’s front page on Friday.

“The comparison certainly brings back ill memories,” Lacierda said.