Prosecutors to wrap up case vs Corona by 1st week of March

MANILA, Philippines—Prosecutors will wrap up their case in the trial  of impeached Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona by the first week of March.

In a telephone interview, Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo said that the prosecution panel would be able to finish its presentation for Article 2, or Chief Justice Renato Corona’s alleged failure to declare his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, by next week.

Quimbo said that the panel projected it would be able to wrap up its presentation for Article 2 last week but the senator-judges had requested the reappearance of several witnesses, particularly the president of Philippine Savings Bank (PS Bank) Pascual Garcia and their Katipunan Branch manager Annabelle Tiongson.
Quimbo said that Garcia and Tiongson would be the last two witnesses the panel would call for Article 2. Thereafter, the prosecution would present evidence on Article 3, or Corona’s alleged betrayal of public trust and/or culpable violation of the Constitution due to the high court’s flip-flopping decisions.
Earlier, Roberto Anduiza, president of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines, appeared before the impeachment court as a witness for Article 3.
Anduiza testified that Corona took part in the 2011 Supreme Court ruling, which overturned the high court’s previous ruling on the retrenchment of 1,400 flight attendants in 1998. He said Corona had claimed to have inhibited from the case.

Quimbo said that aside from Anduiza, the prosecution team would still present two more witnesses for Article 3.