Chief Justice Corona must testify on the witness stand—House Speaker Belmonte

MANILA, Philippines—Only Chief Justice Renato Corona can shed light on his dollar accounts.

House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. said this on Thursday in an interview with reporters, explaining the importance of Corona taking the witness stand and testifying before the Senate, acting as an impeachment court.

“There are some things that only he can answer… [the] dollar accounts are still there in the mind of the public,” he said, adding that although the situation may seem “unfair” to the chief magistrate, in the end, he had to appear before the court to clarify the issue.

House majority floor leader Neptali Gonzales II added that the chief justice was also the best person to answer questions about his capability to purchase the properties which are said to be in his name.

He specifically pointed out that the chief justice could best explain how much was actually left of the P21 million which he accumulated from salaries and benefits from 2002 to 2011.

“Tama yung mga senador na at the end of the day, kailangan talaga ang testimony talaga ni Chief Justice Corona. Because from the looks of it, gustong ipalabas ng defense na meron silang P21 million… but let’s not forget yung P21 million hindi isang taon yun… at hindi lahat yun ay income,” Gonzales said.

Corona had to explain to the court what his “net income” was, Gonzales stressed.

Asked what the House would do if Corona was acquitted in the end, Belmonte said, “Well, we have to move on. Of course, it’s not gonna happen, I think. I hope.”