Sotto: No bloc voting in Corona impeachment

Senate Majority Floor Leader Vicente Sotto III on Tuesday said there will be no bloc voting in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, especially for the so-called "Enrile bloc."

"The Senate president has made it very clear to us and to many others who he talked that his vote is his vote, he is not influencing anyone, he does not want to influence anyone, even the so-called Enrile bloc," Sotto told reporters.

He issued the statement after some political analysts have poined out that the so-called Enrile bloc, composed of the Senate president, Sotto, Senate President Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada and Sen. Gregorio Honasan, will be crucial in deciding Corona's fate.

Sotto, however, said that Enrile told them that he will only tell them his vote if they ask and want to know. He said the Senate president hasn't told him what his vote was.

As for his own vote, he said "more or less" he knows what his decision is.

"I decided after I prayed last night, I consulted my family," Sotto said.

Vote based on conscience, evidence

Sen. Edgardo Angara, for his part, said he will base his decision on his conscience and the evidence presented during the trial.

"My decision to either acquit or convict centers on his fitness to decide as the chief magistrate. The issue of the impeachment of the chief magistrate centers on that factor," Angara said in a statement released Tuesday.

Angara's son, Rep. Sonny Angara, is one of the spokespersons for the prosecution. The elder Angara, however, has inisted that his being a senator-judge has nothing to do with his son's role in the impeachment trial.

The senators are expected to vote on Corona's case later in the day. Sixteen votes are needed to convict him.

Sotto said that if ever Corona is convicted, they will have the order drafted after the trial, which he said is basically immediately executory.

"More or less, yun ang sinasabi ng Constitution," he said.

The senator said that if ever the defense panel brings the case to the Supreme Court, it would not be their problem anymore.

"Whatever happens after is not our problem anymore unless they bring it up with us," he said. — Kimberly Jane Tan/RSJ, GMA News

source: gmanetwork.com

Corona in "high spirits" as he leaves to testify for trial

Chief Justice Renato Corona remained positive before testifying in his impeachment trial Tuesday, his son said.

Francis Corona said his father was in "high spirits" hours before he is set to testify in the proceedings. Before heading for the Senate to testify at his impeachment trial, a calm Corona faced nearly 700 court employees who prayed and wished the magistrate well.

Corona, who is set to take the stand on Day 40 of his impeachment trial, arrived at around 10:10 am for the inter-faith rally and send off ceremony organized by Supreme Court employees. Corona didn't give any interviews and left shortly at around 11:15 am on board his black SUV. He is expected to drop by his office and leave for the Senate at around 1 p.m.

Security personnel at the SC estimated the number of the predominantly red-clad employees, who attended the send-off, between 600 and 700.

"They've been here since early morning and people keep trickling in," a security personnel told InterAksyon in Filipino.

During the send-off, Corona's wife, Cristina, and children, Francis and Carla, were given a standing ovation during the brief ceremony. Also in attendance were Corona's Ateneo law school fratmates from the Fraternal Order of Utopia.

Shortly after the ceremony, Corona waved goodbye to his supporters and boarded his car to the Senate.

source: interaksyon.com

Senator Miriam suggestion: End Corona impeach trial by June 7

MANILA, Philippines -- On the proposal of Senate President Juan Ponce-Enrile to end the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona by end of May, Senator Miriam Defensor-Santiago has another suggestion: end it by June 7, which is the scheduled end of the Congress session.

Speaking at the resumption of the impeachment trial on Monday, Santiago said the impeachment court has the "authority to order the conclusion of trial on or before June 7, so as to allow judgment to be promulgated before Congress ends this session."

Santiago said that under the Rules of Court, specifically Rule 133, Section 6, the court has the power to stop further evidence on a particular point "when the evidence is already so full that some witnesses to same point cannot be reasonably expected to be additionally persuasive. But this power should be exercised with caution."

Santiago also cited Rule 119, Sec. 11, Paragraph (c) of the Rules of Court: "The prosecution and the defense may, in that order, present rebuttal and non-rebuttal evidence unless the court, in furtherance of justice, permits them to present additional evidence bearing upon the main issue."

Earlier, Enrile, who is presiding judge in the trial, said he wanted to end the trial by the end of May and was willing to extend the trial up until 10 p.m. to accomplish this goal.

source: interaksyon.com

6 of 10 Filipinos believe Corona has hidden wealth -- SWS survey

MANILA, Philippines -- Several weeks before the resumption of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona, a new survey revealed that more than half of Filipinos believe that Corona has hidden wealth.

Results of a new Social Weather Stations (SWS) survey, published first on BusinessWorld on Monday, showed that 63% of Filipinos believe Corona has hidden wealth based on the supposed undeclared money and assets in his statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN). Only 12% did not believe that Corona has hidden wealth while 24% were
undecided.

Those who believe that Corona has hidden wealth are from all geographic areas and demographics and was highest in Metro Manila (77%), the Classes ABC (69%), and also among among college graduates (78%).

The SWS survey also found that 58% believed that Corona “intended to help” former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, to “flee the country, to elude the charges she is facing.” One of the articles of impeachment by the prosecutors include the issuance of a temporary restraining order on the watchlist order on the Arroyo couple. Only 17% disagreed that Corona helped the Arroyos while 23% were undecided.

In addition, 57% agreed that “Chief Justice Corona accepted special favors like discounts in the [purchase of a] condominium and plane tickets.” Only 14% disagreed while 28% were undecided.

The same survey, conducted last March 10 to 13, found that less than half or 46% of Filipinos would support "people power" to force Corona to step down in the event he was acquitted.

Among those who support people power in case of an acquittal, the majority reached up to 56% in Mindanao and 51% among non-elementary graduates, and was a 50% plurality among the class ABC. Opinion was mixed in the Visayas where 36% agreed, 27% were undecided and 36% disagreed.

The March 2012 Social Weather Survey was conducted using face-to-face interviews of 1,200 adults in Metro Manila, Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao with sampling error margins of ±3% for national percentages, ±6% for area percentages.

source: interaksyon.com