Galit ako sa gobbledygook,” a statement attributed to former senator Rodolfo Biazon during the 2001 impeachment trial of then president Joseph Estrada is a classic sketch of the people’s frustration when they sense something is off in the way senator-judges ask clarificatory questions in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona. The Chief Justice took the witness stand last Tuesday but walked out of the Senate impeachment tribunal before the senators were able to buttonhole him on his dollar deposits. He went back to the Senate two days later and explained he had bouts of hypoglycemia when he left the court. He apologized for his action, which he said was brought about by the hassles of the impeachment.
I was in Ormoc City last Friday and while waiting for the early evening Supercat ride back to Cebu City, I joined some 20 fellow passengers in watching CJ Corona on television taking clarificatory questions from senator-judges.
Senator Judge Miriam Defensor Santiago was given first crack but instead of zeroing in on Corona’s dollar accounts, she asked about the effects of the impeachment and the sub judice rule on the High Tribunal. I expected Corona to ride the opportunity to lecture about the “chilling effects” of the trial, but he seemed disinterested in the topic. As he was about to begin another narrative of how the trial affected his family, Santiago cut him short, as if hearing the taunts of my fellow passengers who aired comments about the CJ’s “acting”, and why can’t senator-judges just go straight to the point.
It took another hour or so for the subject matter to be raised, courtesy of Sen. Jinggoy Estrada who began by first airing his sympathies to Corona. Sen. Estrada recounted that 11 years ago he and his father, former president Joseph Estrada were also maligned by the impeachment process. Jinggoy stopped short of saying that it had to happen because the only way a sitting President could be made to account for his actions over accusations of plunder is through the impeachment process, in the Senate sitting as impeachment court. There is no other route. As we know, Erap Estrada’s impeachment was aborted when congressmen prosecutors walked out after the Senate majority voted not to open the second envelope said to contain documents about the President’s ill-gotten wealth. The result was People Power 2 that eventually ousted Erap Estrada.
Jinggoy then went on to ask Corona about his pet peeve Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales. Then the lawmaker casually asked about the dollar deposits, to which the CJ answered in the affirmative, in three accounts, totalling $2.4 million.
Corona’s answer sounded straightforward, indicating that he had made up his mind to “come clean” that day. The CJ then went on to justify that his dollar deposits was not a one-time placement, but had grown over the years. Because they have not touched it, the interest on the deposits have compounded, bringing the total to $2.4 million. He also admitted that his local currency deposits contain P80 million.
In his 2010 Statement of Assets, Liabilities and Net Worth, Corona reported that he has only P3.5 million in the banks. The difference of more or less P180 million has yet to be verified.
Corona defended his action of not declaring the dollar deposits in his SALN by saying that it is prohibited under the Foreign Currency Deposit Act. As for the peso accounts, he said they were not his alone, but co-mingled funds that came from his wife’s assets in the Basa-Guidote Enterprises Inc., including his children’s savings.
Then it was the turn of Sen. Franklin Drilon to ask. My fellow passengers were virtually holding on to their seats because Drilon had been at the receiving end of Corona’s tirade last Tuesday. The senator came up with a PowerPoint presentation, which seemed difficult to follow and so did not live up to the expectations of the crowd.
The most relevant question came from Sen. Kiko Pangilinan. After hearing Corona’s explanation of how he amassed P180 million, the senator inquired that if the funds are “malinis,” why didn’t the CJ declare it?
In reply, Corona stuck to the FCDA, prompting Pangilinan to assert that the FCDA is a law passed in 1973 and cannot supersede the 1987 Constitution that obliges government officials to make truthful declarations in their SALNs. Corona stood his ground and even reminded the Senate there was no jurisprudence on the SALN. As far as he is concerned, his dollar accounts are protected by absolute confidentiality under the FCDA.
I can’t imagine hearing a Supreme Court Chief Justice making a case of dodging the Constitutional mandate on transparency and accountability like that, but such is the way he appreciates public accountability or honest service. I could only shake my head in disbelief, but a fellow passenger’s comment interpreted everything that was said during the 42nd day of the impeachment hearing.
“Nabutaan na gyud intawn si Corona sa iyang sapi (Corona is blinded by his wealth). “