Escudero votes for Corona conviction

MANILA, Philippines – Senator-Judge Francis Escudero voted Tuesday to convict Chief Justice Renato Corona and at the same time challenged members of the Senate and the House of Representatives to sign unconditional waivers on their bank accounts.

Although the senator-judge admitted that he disapproved of the prosecution team’s method in handling the complaint against Corona, Escudero said that the Foreign Currency Deposits Act which the chief magistrate used as a reason for not declaring his $2.4 million and P80 million bank deposits and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards were not warring laws.

“Simple na lang ang kailangang desisyunan, hindi nga ba kailangan ideklara dahil sa FCDU law? Hini ko masasangayunan ang punong mahistrado, hindi nagbabanggaan ang mga batas. Kung ayaw magdeklara, huwag tumakbo [for public office]. Kung naninilbihan sa pamahalaan, dapat magdeklara.”

But the impeachment complaint crafted by members of the House, which said that non-declaration of one’s SALN was an impeachable offense meant “mula ngayon dahil sa Congress, pwede nang tanggalin ang pangulo at ikalawang pangulo ng bansa at iba pang impeachable offices kapag hindi nagdeclare sa SALN.”

He then announced that he submitted on Monday his waiver allowing the Ombudsman to look into his bank accounts, urging senators and congressmen to do the same.

“Hinihimok ko ang aking kasamahan sa Senate at Congress na gawin ito at ipasa ang Senate bill 107” which requires all public officials to sign an unconditional waiver.

“Hindi simpleng pagtanggap ng hamon pero aktwal na pagpirma.”