3 senators see nothing wrong with alleged INC lobby for Corona

MANILA, Philippines — At least three senators said reported efforts of the influential Iglesia ni Cristo to lobby for the acquittal of Chief Justice Renato Corona could be considered part of the political character of his impeachment trial.

But Senators Edgardo Angara, Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and Ralph Recto maintained they were not among those that INC officials reached out to.

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, on the other hand, evaded questions about the INC after reports said he was among those whom the group’s officials tried to convince to vote for Corona’s acquittal.

“No one, no one has approached me.  I quarantined myself,” he said before walking away from television cameras.

In an ambush interview, Angara noted that even media entities lobby for certain causes, adding that the INC’s alleged efforts were “not objectionable.”

“This is a political body,” Angara said, referring to the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. “Such moves are considered part of the political nature of an impeachment trial.”

“What is offensive (‘masama’) is being partisan, when the presentation of evidence is not yet finished yet one is already determined to vote a certain way.  Or if your vote is based on who your friends are (‘kabarkada’),” the senator explained.

Angara was reacting to reports that members of the INC, an influential sect that delivers a solid vote for politicians it has chosen to support during an election, have approached senators to plead for Corona’s acquittal in his impeachment trial.

Corona’s lead counsel Serafin Cuevas is a highly regarded member of the INC.

Angara downplayed questions that the INC may be targeting specifically re-electionist senators who would need the INC’s support to win in next year’s polls.

“That should not be our conclusion.  All sectors, whether religious like the INC or a civilian group, or a non-sectarian group, can talk to concerned parties or lobby for (either) side of this issue,” he added.

“But if a lobby group approaches you, there is a need for disclosure and transparency. You should not hide this (‘hindi mo tinatago’),” the senator said.

Angara admitted he would be “open to anyone” who would want to discuss the Corona case.

Angara’s son, Aurora Rep. Juan Edgardo Angara, is one of the three spokespersons of the House prosecution panel that accused Corona of betrayal of public trust and other impeachable offenses for failure to disclose high-end real property and multi-million dollar bank accounts in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Marcos, in a separate interview, said he has had several talks with INC members but none about Corona’s trial in the Senate.

“But if they want to talk about the impeachment trial, just talking to them is harmless. Let’s put it this way, no one has approached me, not about the trial,” he said.

Still, Marcos said it would be part of the INC’s right to express their views to senators.

“They believe in something and they want it brought to the attention of senators.  If they are citizens, they have every right to express their opinion. They are also Filipinos,” he stressed.

Recto denied any meeting with the INC but likened such an encounter to his regular talks with province mates in Batangas.

“People in Batangas come to me and express their views about the trial.  They take the time so I listen to them but it does not mean they can influence me. In the case of the INC, it would be the same but it hasn’t happened,” he said.