Supreme Court Justice Lourdes Sereno. FILE PHOTO
She didn’t say if she would be a witness for the prosecution, only that the issue had become moot.
Associate Justice Lourdes Sereno left open the question of whether she would defy a Supreme Court injunction invoking judicial privilege and testify in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
President Benigno Aquino III’s first appointee to the high tribunal released on Thursday a three-paragraph letter dated February 29 to Bayan Muna Representative Neri Colmenares in response to the lawmaker’s invitation to be a prosecution witness against Corona.
“Thank you for the invitation that my office received at noon yesterday from the prosecution panel to appear as its witness on 01 March 2012 in the ongoing impeachment proceedings. I understand, however, that the termination of the presentation of evidence by the prosecution panel yesterday and reiterated today before the impeachment court has superseded your invitation,” she said.
Queries to Sereno’s staff on the possibility that she would have appeared before the Senate had the prosecution not rested its case remained unanswered as of press time.
The prosecution wanted Sereno to testify on Article 7 of the impeachment complaint, which pertains to Corona’s alleged tinkering with a Nov. 15, 2011, Supreme Court resolution to make it appear that a temporary restraining order (TRO) imposed against the travel restrictions on former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was already effective.
Missed opportunity
In her dissenting opinion, which was presented to the Senate trial by the House panel as its evidence, Sereno recounted that the TRO was not yet effective because the Arroyo camp had not yet complied with one of the conditions imposed by the Supreme Court—a view rejected by the majority.
Marikina Representative Romero Quimbo said the prosecution could live without the testimony of Sereno, maintaining that the panel led by Iloilo Representative Niel Tupas Jr., had presented strong evidence to convict the Chief Justice.
Colmenares said he was disappointed Sereno was unable to testify. “It’s a missed opportunity,” he said by phone.
“We are not only disappointed, we are aghast,” Bayan Muna Representative Teodoro Casiño, Gabriela Representative Emmi de Jesus and Act Teachers Representative Antonio Tinio said in a joint statement.
Tupas closed the door
“We wonder who ordered Tupas to close the door for Sereno’s testimony. This is alarming and appears to be part of a series of acts to downplay Corona’s connection to GMA. When we filed the impeachment complaint, it was clear that Corona was being made to account for his partiality and subservience to Arroyo. And now that aspect of the case is being weakened by the lead prosecutor himself,” said the three lawmakers.