Pangilinan votes to convict Corona

Senator Francis Pangilinan. INQUIRER PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines – Senator-Judge Francis Pangilinan voted to convict and dismiss from office of Chief Justice Renato Corona, saying that the chief magistrate was no longer fit to lead the Supreme Court.

Pangilinan told the members of the court that his repeated failure to disclose hundreds of millions of cash in several bank accounts was “dishonesty and culpable violation of the Constitution.”

“Kung sa malinis na paraan nakuha, anong masama na ideklara niya lahat dahil wala siyang itinatago? Hindi dapat ikaila kung walang itinatagong masama.”

Pangilinan said that Corona “displayed a disturbing pattern of dishonesty” and asked whether the nation would still trust him to serve the country for six more years if acquitted.

“Siya ba ay dapat pang pagkatiwalaan? Speaker [Feliciano] Belmonte [Jr.] said six years pang uupo si Chief Justice,” said the senator-judge, pointing out how Corona kept from members of his wife’s family the rights to Basa Guidote Enterprises Inc. and his blatant disrespect for the senator-judges when he walked out of his trial.

“Paano ang pagtrato niya sa maliliit na kababayan? Pagkakatiwalaan pa ba siya sa loob ng anim na taon?”

He said that Corona himself said in his statement back in June 4, 2010 wherein he said that a member of the judiciary found to be dishonest should not only be dismissed from office but should also be disbarred.

“Sa kaniya na nanggaling na dapat siyang maconvict.”

He said that a vote to convict the chief magistrate was a vote to put an end to corruption. “Respect for rule of law will only be realized if the punishment is swift for the guilty. Only when we punish the guilty will respect for rule of law be resolved.”