Aquino thanks allies for action on Chief Justice

President Benigno Aquino III. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

Now it can be told.

President Benigno Aquino III on Tuesday said that he had initially restrained allies in the House of Representatives from moving against Chief Justice Renato Corona, but he supported efforts to impeach Corona when questionable decisions of the high court became too much for the people.

Mr. Aquino said the Supreme Court’s haste in issuing a temporary restraining order (TRO) junking the travel ban on former President and now Pampanga Representative Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo without giving Malacañang the chance to air its side finally prompted concerted efforts in the House to impeach Corona. He, in turn, rallied his allies to support the cause.

On Monday, Corona became the second Chief Justice to be impeached. A total of 188 members of the House (more than the required 95 votes, or one-third of the members) signed the impeachment complaint, which was submitted to the Senate Tuesday.

In October 2003, then Chief Justice Hilario Davide was impeached for alleged irregularities in the disbursement of the Judiciary Development Fund.

The Senate will act as a court to hear the charges against Corona, including  partiality to cases against Arroyo and failure to disclose his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Disciple of Arroyo

In a speech before a number of House members who impeached Corona, Mr. Aquino called on the Chief Justice, whom he described as a “disciple of Ms Arroyo,’’ to face the music.

“Mr. Corona, before the House and the Senate, it is time for you to face those from whom you derive the authority—the Filipino people,” the President said.

A day after Corona was impeached, Mr. Aquino met with his party mates in the Liberal Party and coalition partners to personally thank them for their “capacity to uphold the interests of the Filipino people without vacillation, with a dedication to their sworn duty, and with recognition of the suffering endured by our countrymen, whom you represent.’’

Deepest gratitude

“For your work, you have my deepest gratitude,” the President told the lawmakers who included members of the National People’s Coalition, Nacionalista Party and National Unity Party.

Before he gave his speech in which he delivered his most biting words against Corona, the President went from one table to the next to shake hands with the House members and exchanged pleasantries.

Justifying the impeachment of Corona, the President said the Corona-led tribunal had attacked the House when it tried to block the impeachment of then Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez. This issue is one of the eight charges leveled against Corona in the impeachment complaint.

Mr. Aquino said that despite the high court’s decision that hindered the House from performing its power to impeach, Malacañang accepted it. “Fortunately,” he said, “Gutierrez stepped down.”

The President said he had advised the House “to summon great calm and temperance” in the wake of the high court decision that favored Gutierrez.

“As you can see, we have never been belligerent. Allow me to repeat myself: We have never been belligerent,” Mr. Aquino said, eliciting loud applause from the lawmakers.

Restraint

Speaking to reporters later, the President reiterated that he had called upon his allies to exercise restraint “at some point in time” during the Gutierrez controversy.

“But the point came when the evidence [against Corona piled up] that I eventually agreed there should be a stop to the suffering inflicted on the people,” the President said.

In his speech, Mr. Aquino said the Palace initially gave Corona the benefit of the doubt despite comments on the latter’s supposed partiality to Arroyo, who appointed him to the top position in the tribunal.

“We endeavored to get along with the Supreme Court under Mr. Corona. We looked forward to and hoped for true justice to prevail over his allegiance to Ms. Arroyo,” he said.

Last straw

But on November 15, the Supreme Court issued the TRO that allowed Arroyo to seek treatment abroad for her bone ailment without giving Malacañang the chance to air its side, Mr. Aquino said.

The Department of Justice defied the TRO and barred Arroyo from leaving on that day. Days later she was arrested on charges of electoral sabotage, a nonbailable offense.

The President added that the high court insisted on its order to let Arroyo travel abroad although her camp had failed to comply with the conditions the tribunal had set.

The President said Corona did not even correct the Supreme Court  spokesperson, Midas Marquez, when he insisted that the TRO stood despite the failure of the Arroyo camp to meet the conditions.

“With the manner in which Lady Justice’s blindfold has been repeatedly, brazenly ripped off, we need to ask ourselves: For how long must we bear it? Up to when must we tolerate it? And how much longer can we be expected to be patient?” he said.

The President said he was “convinced” that when it came to Arroyo, Corona “has lost the ability to distinguish between right and wrong. Our efforts would be worthless if, even before we reach the courts, the scales have already been tipped against us.”

“The truth could not be clearer: Mr. Corona was appointed to the Supreme Court, not as an instrument of justice, but as a disciple of Ms Arroyo,” Mr. Aquino said.

The President added that Corona’s “personal and professional history appears to be sufficient motivation for Mr. Corona to repeatedly tarnish the integrity of the Supreme Court.’’

Leeching

“Let me tell you now that I am not the one destroying his institution. By his refusal to hold Mrs. Arroyo accountable, Mr. Corona is leeching the Supreme Court of its honor and integrity,” Mr. Aquino said.

The President also pointed out other decisions in the Corona-led court that had affected the “ordinary” Filipino.

Mr. Aquino mentioned the high court’s flip-flopping on the cityhood of certain municipalities that stalled many projects in the provinces and the firing of 1,400 of flight attendants of Philippine Airlines.

He also cited the decision that allowed Bai Omera Lucman to remain with the National Commission on Muslim Filipinos despite his executive order nullifying all of Arroyo’s midnight appointees.

Pilgrimage to Saudi

Mr. Aquino said Lucman recently caused chaos in her office when she ordered the facilitation of the travel of 5,000 Muslim Filipinos to this year’s pilgrimage to Mecca. He noted that the number was 1,000 more than what Saudi Arabia had authorized.

The President said that he had to write a letter to the king of Saudi Arabia to request an additional one thousand visas and that “out of kindness” to the “late request, the latter granted visas to 500 more.

“I was wondering if Mr. Corona considered the implications of his decisions,” he added.

Mr. Aquino then asked how the country could expect a “fair and forthright action” from Corona when the latter had not disclosed his own statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, in violation of the Constitution.

He said this was a “clear and blatant abuse of power granted by the people.”

Strong people’s support

The President said that his battle against Corona had the strong support of the people and that this was “growing.”

“I call on all of you to pay attention to the process as it unfolds. Let us be involved in the discussions, and cling to what is just,” he said.

Mr. Aquino said he believed that Malacañang would “prevail” in this fight “because we have the interests of the Filipino people in mind.”

He dismissed concerns that the independence of institutions would be compromised as a result of the executive branch’s actions against the Chief Justice.

“The fact that they are able to speak is already evidence that democracy won’t be affected and, on the contrary, our democracy is very much alive,” President Aquino said.

Tool for accountability

A University of the Philippines law professor and civil society groups threw their support behind the the impeachment of Corona.

“Let them be on notice. Impeachment will be used as a tool for accountability against public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution,” lawyer Harry Roque said, referring to justices.

The Bantay Gloria Network and the Kaya Natin! Movement for Good Governance and Ethical Leadership also backed the filing of the impeachment complaint against Corona.

Justice Secretary Leila de Lima supported the House move to impeach Corona, saying the overwhelming number of lawmakers who signed the impeachment petition showed that the move was supported by the majority of Filipinos.

Tyranny of judiciary

At the Department of the Interior and Local Government, Secretary Jesse M. Robredo said impeachment was the only recourse against the “tyranny of the judiciary.”

Moro activists also supported the move to indict Corona. “Enough with waiting for nothing,” said Pendatun Disimban, vice president of the Bangsamoro Solidarity Movement, referring to the the tribunal’s inaction on questions about the constitutionality of synchronizing elections in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao with the national polls. With reports from  Norman Bordadora, DJ Yap, Jerome Aning and TJ Burgonio in Manila; and Ryan D. Rosauro, Inquirer Mindanao