Gov’t officials urged to ‘heed lessons learned’ from Corona conviction

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on Friday advised government officials to “heed lessons learned” from the conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona as he lauded the ousted chief magistrate for respecting the Senate impeachment court’s decision.

Corona announced Thursday that he would not to question the Senate’s ruling to remove him from office after he was found guilty of violating the Constitution when he did not declare his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

Belmonte said that government officials should “heed lessons learned” in the former chief magistrate’s controversial impeachment trial, adding that Corona must have realized that taking his case to the Supreme Court would prove to be “futile [and would only] prolong his agony.”

Corona’s lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas in an interview before the Senate impeachment court handed down its guilty verdict on Wednesday said that they could take matters to the high tribunal.

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tanada III commented that Corona’s decision indicated “that he has accepted the decision and [is] ready to move on.”