HOT SEATS Senator-judges, irked by accusations from the Corona defense team insinuating bribery by Malacañang, take turns taking them to task. Chief Justice Renato Corona’s lawyers were forced to repeatedly issue an apology. Among the defense lawyers present at a hastily called press conference on Sunday night in Club Filipino in Greenhills, San Juan, are (from left) German Lichauco II, Rico Quicho, Karen Jimeno, Tranquil Salvador III, Jose Roy III, Ramon Esguerra and Dennis Manalo. GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE
Defense lawyers of Chief Justice Renato Corona got a dressing down from senator-judges for alleging on Sunday night that Malacañang was trying to bribe some senators into voting against the Supreme Court order restraining the impeachment court from looking into Corona’s dollar deposits.
Senators Jose “Jinggoy” Estrada, Antonio Trillanes IV, Alan Peter Cayetano and Pia Cayetano challenged the defense panel to name the source of the information.
But defense lawyer Jose Roy III, who spoke in behalf of the panel, cited the law on client-lawyer confidentiality.
At a press conference, defense lawyers said Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., “acting in behalf of President Aquino,” was “personally contacting and phoning senator-judges to persuade or pressure them to defy a temporary restraining order issued by the Supreme Court in favor of the Philippine Savings Bank.”
Acting on Trillanes’ motion, Enrile ordered Corona’s lawyers to explain in writing within the week why they should not be cited for contempt for making the allegation.
Roy told the court that the defense lawyers were left with “very little choice” but to meet the media on the eve of the crucial vote, because they received the tip only late Saturday afternoon.
“The reason we had to go to media was because we wanted to send a very clear message to those who would try to subvert the process that we will not allow it to go unnoticed. We will bring it to the light of day. We will expose it,” Roy said under questioning by Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano.
Estrada told the court: “I don’t want to let it pass without saying anything because the integrity, credibility and independence of individual senators, as well as the honor of the Senate sitting as an impeachment court, are at stake here.”
‘Big insult’
He said the allegation was a “big insult to the institution and to senator-judges.”
Alan Cayetano told defense counsels that they would have been subjected to disciplinary action if they made the allegation against the Supreme Court on the eve of the release of a decision. He said the accusation put senator-judges in a “compromising situation.”
“Isn’t it an insult to us to even have to deny that we’re susceptible to bribes? You put us in that situation, Mr. Counsel,” he told Roy.
Roy admitted that it was not yet time for the defense to present evidence, but lamented that “we are being tried in public” apparently to justify the Sunday press conference. “We were being rushed,” he said in Filipino.
Cayetano replied: “Well, is that the fault of the senator-judges? Or is that precisely the system? My point is, go ahead, engage in a trial by publicity with the prosecution … but why did you involve the referee in the intrigue of your own making?”
‘Irresponsible’
The prosecution said the defense lawyers’ accusation against Malacañang and senator-judges was meant to demonize them in the impeachment trial in order to stop the opening of Corona’s dollar accounts.
Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr., chief prosecutor, said the allegation was “very irresponsible” because the defense could not even name the source of the information.
“Respondent Corona is trying to demonize the executive and blackmail the Senate to vote in their favor as part of their mind conditioning strategy,” Tupas said in a text message to the Inquirer.
“Respondent Corona has no respect for the constitutional process of impeachment, the Senate impeachment tribunal and the senators,” he said.
Bayan Muna Rep. Neri Colmenares, another prosecutor, said that what Corona’s lawyers did was a declaration of war against senators.
“[It is] an unmistakable sign of panic and desperation, a pathetic attempt at blackmailing the Senate impeachment court,” said Colmenares.
Colmenares noted that since the start of the Corona trial, the defense had been trying to discredit the impeachment court and senator-judges in their actions both inside and outside of the Senate session hall.
“This latest attack is blackmail, saying to the senators you vote with us not to open the dollar accounts or we will charge you with accepting bribes,” Colmenares said.