Quest for transparency has just begun–Corona

Renato Corona PHOTO BY : JUNNY ROY / DAILY TRIBUNE / SENATE POOL

Unseated by the Senate impeachment court for his failure to declare some P180 million in dollar and peso bank deposits, Renato Corona now wants to pursue a “quest for transparency in government service.”

Taking a conciliatory tone, the former Chief Justice said on Sunday he would continue what he had started when he allowed for the unrestricted scrutiny of his bank deposits by issuing a waiver.

In a signed statement, Corona thanked his supporters and former colleagues in the judiciary who stuck by him and his family during his  impeachment trial.

“The quest for transparency in government service does not end with my leaving the august halls of the Supreme Court. It has, in fact, only just begun,” Corona said.

Clarion call response

“A growing number of dedicated Filipinos have now taken up the clarion call and, with the help of our friends in the media, many have… demand[ed] higher levels of transparency through the outright waiver of confidentiality,” he said.

Corona said the signing of a waiver by each government employee “is the new standard for public trust in government service.”

“We assure our people that this new thrust will bring better governance and a new culture for public service. The Filipino people deserve nothing less,” he said.

Corona, the first magistrate to be removed from office through  impeachment, Supreme Court addressed himself in the statement as “former Chief Justice.”

The statement was dated June 2, but was released to the media only on Sunday.

Fought a good fight

Corona thanked the members of his defense team who, he said, “did an excellent job within the confines of what was legal and moral.”

Quoting a Bible verse, he said, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”

“We did our best, but reality has a way of getting in the way of idealism. I am grateful to all of you for sharing my belief in the cause,” he said.

Corona said his impeachment and the various episodes which led to his ouster “taught me and my family to put all our trust in God’s providence.”

“My wife (Cristina) and I, together with our children and grandchildren, are all witnesses to God’s immense love, as reflected in the kindness and good deeds—big and small—extended to us by countless people,” he said.

“I am overwhelmed, humbled even, by the outpouring of affection and support for me and my family. The seemingly endless stream of visitors daily—from my fiercely loyal and hardworking defense counsels, my family in the Supreme Court and the different courts, friends and even strangers who went out of their way to visit me—became my wellspring of hope and cheer.”

He said he was “inspired” by the dedication shown him by his “online supporters from near and far all over the world”

Thanks to docs, nurses

Corona, who flatly denied he had stolen from state coffers, thanked the doctors and nurses at The Medical City in Pasig City where he was confined for nine days after he suffered from hypoglycemia. He was discharged from the hospital on Saturday.

“In spite of everything, I do not regret making a stand and will continue to fight for the cause of judicial independence,” he said.

He thanked the public for giving him “the distinct privilege of serving this nation in various official capacities and ultimately as Chief Justice.”

“The time has come, however, to render service to our people outside of the limitations of public office,” Corona said.

Originally posted: 4:57 pm | Sunday, June 3rd, 2012