Chief Justice Corona Impeachment Thread 5

[Gunnar]

I don't think this was ever in dispute. From day one, the impeachment proceedings have always been regarded as a political process more than a legal one. For one, the judges are senators - 23 individuals who were voted into office via a political process. So they have to look at their constituencies as a potential influence when they make decisions. Another thing - even CJ Corona has somehow accepted that said process is political. When he testified in court, he opted to speak in the vernacular in his dire effort to address the public. Said action only shows that getting people at his side is extremely important in order to influence the vote.

Ultimately, more than the legal action, the impeachment proceedings might have to decide what is really best for the Filipino people. Which in principle, may actually be the real purpose of the impeachment process.

Pare naligaw ka ata dito hehehe.

Going back. Even the start of these proceedings, whether they admit it or not is purely political.

[wagas]

Pare naligaw ka ata dito hehehe.

Going back. Even the start of these proceedings, whether they admit it or not is purely political.

ang pagkakaalala ko dito only the obvious yellows ang nagsabi nito.

like trillanes.the awesome senator na naniniwalang kakampi ni chief justice corona si gloria. kaya nga habang naghe-hearing text ng text at kulang na lang matulog.

dahil nga hindi importante ang ebedensya. political 'to. pustahan tayo na pag dumating yung time na state nila their reason for conviction , yang political exercise ek-ek na yan sasabihin niya.

[aslowruler]

Ang kukulit ng mga posters dito parang Kiko Pangilinan lang. Paulit-ulit.

Ang kailangan lang namang patunayan ay kung ninakaw ba ni CJ Corona ang mga hindi nakadeklara sa SALN niya na protektado ng FCD law?

Pagkatapos masiwalat ni CJ Corona ang lahat, heto ngayon ang Plan B ng Kamahalan sa Malakanyang:

MALACANANG on Friday said the Ombudsman might pursue a criminal case against Chief Justice Renato Corona for his alleged ill-gotten wealth once the impeachment trial against him was over.

http://news.manilastandardtoday.com/...8F2WB.facebook

Ano naman kaya ang masasabi ng mga tagasuporta ng kanilang Kamahalan sa Palasyo sa hindi nito pagtupad sa kanyang pangako na pabubuksan ang account niya sa bangko?

[tawkytawny]

To be fair, I think dito lang talaga sa pex overwhelming majority ang naniniwala that Corona is innocent and will be acquitted. But I like to think that pexers are more intelligent than those who frequent other forums or post sa mga comments ng news articles.

Dont you think it may be the other way around. Most of the PEXers here who thinks CJ is not guilty have their judgment already clouded by their hatred to PNoy or their allegiance to CJ.

Again, the FCDU law does not prohibit the depositor to disclose his $ deposits because he is the owner. It doesnt make any sense when CJ testified under oath that he is just abiding with the absolute confidentiality of the law when he didnt disclose his $ deposits in his SALNs. If that is the case, he cannot even ISSUE a waiver because by doing so, he already violates the absolute confidentiality required by the law.

If you still dont understand this, tell your parents that they wasted their money sending you to school because obviously you didnt attend your classes and you just got your diplomas from Recto

[Free & Equal]

To be fair, I think dito lang talaga sa pex overwhelming majority ang naniniwala that Corona is innocent and will be acquitted. But I like to think that pexers are more intelligent than those who frequent other forums or post sa mga comments ng news articles.

really?!

majority of pexers naniniwalang innocent dahil sa poll results sa thread na ito?!

so lahat ng pexers eh active sa LAFI forum?!

[Free & Equal]

bwahaha!

sa hindi pa bumoboto, ipaglaban niyo naman ang thief justice!

http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/201685/...st-enrile-last
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com

[Jay P. Mercado]

kaya nga dapat di na nagpakita pa ng ebedensya both prosec and defense , di ba? kasi simula pa lang this process is a waste of taxpayers money with all the time and resources used.

in the end , hindi daw mananaig ang ebedensya. trip -trip na lang yan ng mga senador.

Not exactly. The process is extremely essential and not merely a formality. The presentation of evidence will give all parties - including the public - to assess the situation better. If the public feels that there's no evidence that will prove CJ Corona's violation of Article 2 regarding the SALN Law, then this can obviously weigh in to the final decision of the Senator-Judges. The same case applies if it shows that the CJ did violate Article 2 and the public feels strongly as well. This is not an undermining of process, but in any democracy, the people's will will always be the top consideration.

[pinoy_cowboy]

My fearless forecast: acquittal. And I think even the Pnoy admin is aware of this, hence, the talk and preparation for the December 2012 impeachment. Second, why would Binay's partymates give the Liberal Party a heads up? Conviction will give a boost to LPs candidates and even resuscitate the prospects of Delima, Padaca, Biazon, Lim, and heck even Tupas. That's a political decision UNA members have to make. UNA members will use compelling rule of law reasons not to convict.

[Free & Equal]

From the body language and verbal statements made by the Senator-Judges for the past couple of months, it would be interesting how they'll vote on the CJ outcome tomorrow. As such, let's try to surmise a guess as to how the voting turnout would come out.

At this time, I opine that there will be at least 10 Senator-Judges who will vote for conviction and at least 4 to vote for acquittal.

Here's the list:

For Conviction:

1. Angara
2. Drilon
3. Escudero
4. Guingona
5. Lacson
6. Osmena
7. Pangilinan
8. Pimentel
9. Recto
10. Trillanes

For Acquittal:

1. Arroyo
2. Marcos
3. Defensor-Santiago
4. Villar

The remaining are:

1. A. Cayetano
2. P. Cayetano
3. Enrile
4. Estrada
5. Honasan
6. Lapid
7. Legarda
8. Revilla
9. Sotto

That means there are 9 votes remaining. The Cayetano siblings will obviously have a common vote, and their likelihood of voting for conviction appears greater. They'll probably be more inclined to vote for conviction, unless Villar tells Alan Cayetano to vote otherwise (the male Cayetano benig part of the Nacionalista Party). The same goes for Loren Legarda, who may be swayed by her being part of the Nacionalista bloc. But Legarda has also shown political acumen by knowing where the popular mandate is. And since she'll be running for reelection next year, I don't think she'll risk her chances by voting for acquittal.

Lapid is part of the Lakas bloc alongside Revilla but previous actions have shown Lapid's penchant to vote for where the popular tide is and if he can be supported by the administration. With the legal troubles of his wife brought about by the smuggling in of hundreds of thousands of dollars in the US, Lapid may want to side with the administration so he can sought assistance for his wife.

Revilla, as head of Lakas, may ultimately vote for acquittal. The party may influence him to decide and he would have no choice but to heed the call. That would make 5 votes for acquittal.

The swing vote, hence, will be made by the Enrile bloc made up of JPE, Jinggoy, Honasan and Sotto. That's 4 solid votes that will vote as one. I'm very sure both parties have sent their respective lobbyists to help influence their decisions. So much is at stake here - you get JPE's vote, you get 4 automatic votes.

The question is - how will JPE vote? Initially, I felt JPE would take the side of acquittal. But since the return of the impeachment court after the Holy Week break, JPE has been more inclined to favor the prosecution and has increasingly been difficult to the defense. Is Enrile on "legacy" mode - meaning that on his final few political years, he would decide based on the people's sentiment? Will his son, Jacky, who's running for Senator in 2013, be a major factor in his decision? I won't be surprised if the Liberal Party of the administration would "adopt" the younger Enrile, as well as Honasan, Trillanes, Escudero, Cayetano, and other re-electionists for 2013. Angara's scion has also been considered to be an administration bet. These political developments may actually be the key to all these.

My fearful forecast: at least 17 votes for conviction.

very good observations

but do not forget that Alan Peter Cayetano is one of those 5 senators who the Thief Justice wanted to inhibit from the trial. clearly, he would vote to convict. Pia will do the same.

Enrile's son signed the impeachment complaint. Enrile could not possibly vote for an acquittal and then campaign for his son who supported the ousting of the thief justice.

and this should be considered too:

Lagman's head for Enrile's vote in Corona impeachment

the case of Lapid's wife is being heard on the U.S. i don't think PNoy can do anything about that.

and by the way Junggoy, Sotto and Honasan had been asking their questions for "clarification" purposes, all signs point to them voting for conviction.

pero tama ka, at least 17 for conviction!

[valarc]

Dont you think it may be the other way around. Most of the PEXers here who thinks CJ is not guilty have their judgment already clouded by their hatred to PNoy or their allegiance to CJ.

Again, the FCDU law does not prohibit the depositor to disclose his $ deposits because he is the owner. It doesnt make any sense when CJ testified under oath that he is just abiding with the absolute confidentiality of the law when he didnt disclose his $ deposits in his SALNs. If that is the case, he cannot even ISSUE a waiver because by doing so, he already violates the absolute confidentiality required by the law.

If you still dont understand this, tell your parents that they wasted their money sending you to school because obviously you didnt attend your classes and you just got your diplomas from Recto

So says the average Joe.

Might I ask you, who makes a username like tawkytawny?

[shintaro76]

Dont you think it may be the other way around. Most of the PEXers here who thinks CJ is not guilty have their judgment already clouded by their hatred to PNoy or their allegiance to CJ.

Again, the FCDU law does not prohibit the depositor to disclose his $ deposits because he is the owner. It doesnt make any sense when CJ testified under oath that he is just abiding with the absolute confidentiality of the law when he didnt disclose his $ deposits in his SALNs. If that is the case, he cannot even ISSUE a waiver because by doing so, he already violates the absolute confidentiality required by the law.

If you still dont understand this, tell your parents that they wasted their money sending you to school because obviously you didnt attend your classes and you just got your diplomas from Recto

FCD law states that no person, government official, bureau or office can examined, inquired or looked into one's foreign currency deposit/s.

SALN is required by government offices, thereby they cannot examine, inquire or look into someone's foreign currency deposits as stated in FCD law.

He is not obliged to divulge his dollar account as per FCD law.

[valarc]

"Mukhang nauto yata tayo" - Cecilia Basa
Exclusive: by Raïssa Robles

It was a moment that warmed the heart of a nation and left it teary-eyed: the sight of Cristina Corona hugging her long-estranged Basa cousins on national TV last Friday, while Cristina’s husband Renato sat on the dock being tried on a charge that could lead to his disgrace and dismissal.

asked a Basa relative to tell me more about their dramatic reconciliation. I was rather taken aback by the blunt answer I got: “There was no apology (from Cristina), just small talk and hug-hug.” The version of events I was told differed in some vital parts to what Cristina’s friend Baby Nebrida told ANC TV.

In this piece, I will put side by side Beby Nebrida’s version of the reconciliation and the version of the Basa relatives, as told to me in several exclusive interviews.

One Basa relative just told me today:

If the reconciliation was a ploy on Cristina’s end and we fell for it hook line and sinker, on our end we were sincere.

I decided to come out with this piece after the Basa version was confirmed today in the form of a statement released to a national daily by the main actors in that telegenic reconciliation – namely, Ana, Carmen, Isabel, Francesca and Eric Basa.

The five Basa siblings had issued a statement to the Philippine Daily Inquirer saying that despite the reconciliation,

There are still fundamental differences that have to be addressed, including the damaging statements, falsehoods and accusations against our family, the probate of our Lola Charing (Rosario Basa), court convictions, BGEI stock and financial issues, and, most especially, clearing the tarnished good name of our father, Jose Maria Basa III. The truth must be made evident.

This will be a long journey of healing and reconciliation. It will take time and it may be a painful process for all involved in light of the 30 years of pain preceding it.

Before I go on, I would like to put the reconciliation in context and try to explain why the Basa siblings had issued such a statement to Inquirer after such a momentous group hug.

It now appears that Cristina Corona approached the Basas last Friday, not to say sorry to them, but in order to forgive them for the wrongs they had done to her.

Did you get that? The Coronas were FORGIVING the Basas.

While the Basas, on their part, were expecting an apology from Cristina Corona. As one Basa relative told me:

She (Cristina) just made small talk. She said (to one cousin) – You’re the favorite of lolo. And, how was your trip. There was no invitation (to meet) after. No – let’s talk tomorrow, give me your cellphone. Wala. There was no apology.

Cristina was also persuaded to approach the Basas by her friend Baby Nebrida, who helped engineer the entire episode. Nebrida told ANC TV afterward:

I told Tina, I know it’s painful, very painful, but offer it for the acquittal of the Chief Justice.

How else can you interpret this statement? It seems Cristina went along with the reconciliation in order to help save her husband from conviction.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/blogs/ins...o-cecilia-basa

Mod, please moderate knorr, despite instructions on how to post an article and acknowledgement of the instructions, he still defies them.

[Jay P. Mercado]

Pare naligaw ka ata dito hehehe.

Going back. Even the start of these proceedings, whether they admit it or not is purely political.

Hehe! Honga eh! Nothing much to read sa kabila and ever since, lurker din naman ako dito, trying to find out how our co-PEXers think...

[valarc]

very good observations

but do not forget that Alan Peter Cayetano is one of those 5 senators who the Thief Justice wanted to inhibit from the trial. clearly, he would vote to convict. Pia will do the same.

Enrile's son signed the impeachment complaint. Enrile could not possibly vote for an acquittal and then campaign for his son who supported the ousting of the thief justice.

and this should be considered too:

Lagman's head for Enrile's vote in Corona impeachment

the case of Lapid's wife is being heard on the U.S. i don't think PNoy can do anything about that.

and by the way Junggoy, Sotto and Honasan had been asking their questions for "clarification" purposes, all signs point to them voting for conviction.

pero tama ka, at least 17 for conviction!

That's like giving yourself a pat on the back.

[ryan_gwapo]

Based on the results, Majority of Pexers here are oppositions. Kaya pala ang LAFI forum puro bitter posts ang mababasa mo.

so what would you expect, kundi puro bashings and nonsense talk

[shintaro76]

Despite poll pledge, Aquino not waiving secrecy right
By DJ Yap, Norman Bordadora
Philippine Daily Inquirer
12:33 am | Monday, May 28th, 2012

Malacañang dismissed suggestions that President Benigno Aquino III fullfil a campaign promise to waive his bank secrecy rights “at this time” the way impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona did last week.
“It is incumbent on all to recognize that it is Mr. Corona who is on trial,” Palace spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said over the weekend when asked to comment on reminders posted on online forums that Mr. Aquino had pledged to waive his rights under the bank secrecy laws and open his bank accounts to the public during the presidential campaign of 2010.
.....
“To those who are asking if the President will sign a waiver, for the record the President’s SALN has always been made public and it includes the mandatory waiver for the Ombudsman,” he said.

**************************************************************************************************** *******

There you go, the flip-flopping president.

[beybiJAMES]

mas reliable ang survey sa yahoo at facebook.

[oranger3]

In as much as I want to agree but why in hell they conduct this trial if that will be the basis. Hindi na sana sila gumastos pa para madinig ang kung anu-anong ebidensiya, nagdecide na sana sila right there and then when the 188 congressmen submitted their impeachment complaint.

Tumpak ka diyan! Pero kung ganoon, paano sila kikita, i mean ang mga baboy at bwaya sa congreso? Mga tradpols karamihan sa mga yan at alam nila kung anong pwedeng pagkakitaan. Suhol, suhol at suhol, yan ang malaking dahilan kung bakit kung laging may gusot. duon sila sumusuot. Kailan ba kayo ipinanganak?

[absinthe_888]

Whether convicted or acquitted ang verdict tom, dapat i-amend na ng Congress yung FCD Law.

Kaso asa tayo.

[HeadBaker]

Yeah. After rattling my brain with something that is not law-related, I've decided that 'illegal' would be the wrong term to use.

Still, absolute confidentiality is guaranteed by the law, and it, being a specific law, supercedes the SALN law. i.e. You don't break the SALN law by not declaring the dollar accounts.

Which thus brings us to this: How can it be a "high crime" if it isn't even a crime?

IMHO, I do believe that it is a crime not to disclose the dollar accounts in the SALN despite the FCD law.

However, I will trust the better judgement of JPE and the other senator judges, regardless of acquittal or conviction.