Fariñas explains silence so far in impeachment trial

MANILA, Philippines—Ilocos Norte Representative Rodolfo Fariñas, a member of the prosecution team in the impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona, on Wednesday explained his seeming silence so far at the trial, which is now on its third day.

Fariñas, who has caught the attention of the public for his legal acumen as vice chairman of the House committee on justice, pointed out that each member of their panel has been assigned an article of impeachment to focus on to prevent “leakage” of information.

He told reporters at a briefing in the Senate minutes before the trial resumed on its third day that he was not participating in the trial or speaking to the media because he was not privy to the article being discussed.

“I have received a deluge of texts, tweets asking why I was not talking or participating… We have been assigned articles to focus on and it is Article 6 for me,” Fariñas said.

The sixth issue against Corona is “arrogating unto himself, and to a committee he created, the authority and jurisdiction to improperly investigate an alleged erring member of the Supreme Court for the purpose of exculpating himself.”