By Christina Mendez
The Philippine Star
MY CONSCIENCE IS CLEAR: Chief Justice Renato Corona is wheeled out of the Senate session hall after he was discharged by Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile. Corona’s camp said he suffered a hypoglycemic episode, or low blood sugar. He went to a hospital last night.
MANILA, Philippines – After hours of voicing his anguish and lashing out at his accusers almost uninterrupted, Chief Justice Renato Corona made a quick and unceremonious exit from the Senate impeachment court yesterday, but failed to leave the premises after Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile ordered the gates locked.
Corona, after excusing himself at the end of his testimony, walked briskly to the exit and disappeared in the gallery, only to reappear minutes later in a wheelchair.
“Now the Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines wishes to be excused,” Corona said after delivering his lengthy testimony, which was his first since the beginning of the impeachment trial four months ago.
“Please let the Chief Justice come back,” Enrile said as he ordered the sergeant-at-arms to close down the Senate premises to prevent the Chief Justice from leaving.
An indignant Enrile later gave Corona and his defense team led by former justice Serafin Cuevas a dressing down, saying the Chief Justice’s action was a show of disrespect to the impeachment court.
“I think that we did not volunteer to be the judges here. We are here by virtue of the mandate by the Filipino people, and I will tell you Mr. Counsel, I have respect for the Chief Justice, I respect the institution that he represents but I fully demand the respect for the institution that I represent,” Enrile told Cuevas who claimed to be taken by surprise himself.
Corona’s lawyers said their client did not try to leave but he had to excuse himself because he was not feeling well, reportedly after suffering from hypoglycemia or low blood sugar.
“We are not going to allow any slight, any abuse of authority against this court for as long as I am the presiding officer,” Enrile said. “If you are not going to allow your client, or he will not allow himself to be cross-examined, we will decide this case on the basis of evidence on record,” the Senate President said.
He ordered Corona to return for today’s continuation of his testimony “without postponement” despite Cuevas’ request that his client be allowed to fully recover from his condition before being required to return.
Shortly after Corona left the gallery, Cuevas told the court that the Chief Justice was not about to leave, but was “taking his medicines” and “attending to personal necessities.” This drew jeers from the crowd prompting Enrile to warn them that they would be asked to leave the chamber.
“I warn you that if you continue to be disorderly, I will ask the sergeant-at-arms to escort you out of the session hall. I hope you understand the decorum required by this court. You may do it in some other place, but not in this court,” Enrile said.
Outside the chamber, Senate security personnel pulled down the steel accordion gates at the Senate’s basement area where Corona’s car and security backup were parked.
Sources said Corona was prevented from leaving the premises as he was about to use the elevator near the senators’ lounge, where there is direct access to basement parking. Corona’s SUV and security vehicle had to navigate around the basement parking, waiting for the Chief Justice to arrive.
Stopped by security personnel at the executive lounge area, Corona was approached by his lawyers and his son-in-law doctor, as well as by Senate chief physician Dr. Mariano Blanchia. He was brought in a wheelchair to the Senate’s clinic before being escorted back under heavy security to the session hall.
Indignant Enrile
An indignant Enrile, meanwhile, asked Cuevas to explain why they let the Chief Justice leave the impeachment court even if he had not yet been discharged. Cuevas could only apologize and said there was no intention to show disrespect.
“Wag naman kaming babastusin (Please don’t show us disrespect),” Enrile said. “Hindi ko papayagan na papabayaan ng husgado na ito na babastusin ng sinuman (I will never allow this court to be maligned by anyone).
“We allowed him to narrate his defense… if he does not want to be cross-examined, you know the consequences of that… I will be forced to strike out his statement from the record and we will decide the case based on the evidence on record. So it’s your play,” Enrile told Cuevas. Cuevas assured the court that Corona did not try to leave.
“In fact, after he ended his testimony, I did not realize that he was already suffering from chest pain and difficulty in breathing your honor,” Cuevas said. He informed the court that he was already taking medicines for hypoglycemia.
“There is no intention to violate nor to degrade this court, and I take it upon myself…,” he said. But Enrile appeared unconvinced.
“He is the Chief Justice and he knows the decorum and he very well would have said, ‘I am not feeling well, may I be excused from this court? Not to me but the court,” Enrile said.
Again Cuevas reiterated his apology on behalf of his client, who was now seated in a wheelchair next to the witness stand. Corona’s head was bowed and his eyes partly closed as Enrile and Cuevas were in discussion.
Benefit of the doubt
Rep. Sonny Angara, one of the spokesmen for the prosecution, said he wanted to give Corona the benefit of the doubt regarding his actions.
“Let’s give him a benefit of the doubt. He said he was leaving. He’s an old man after all. We’re not doubting his claim of sickness,” he said.
But he said he and the prosecution team want Corona to go back to the witness stand so that they can cross-examine him “as part of the process.”
Interviewed during the lull in the hearing following Corona’s exit, defense lawyer Jose Roy III bluntly denied speculations that Corona’s suddenly falling ill was staged.
“I deny that. That is a lie! This is from people who had prejudged the Chief Justice. This is from the people that said he would invoke his right to remain silent, the same liars who said he was leaving…This is a continuing black propaganda… you in the media should be mature enough to discern what we call the bull from the meat. We are tired of all these insinuations that everything here is a show,” he said. “Based on what the Chief Justice said, the real show is put on by the prosecutors who launched the case without any evidence. That was the show,” Roy said.
Private prosecutor Jose Justiniano said the prosecution would be prompted to ask the impeachment court to strike out the statements made by Corona if won’t come back for cross-examination.
“The defense will have to rest, we have a right to cross-examine the witness. If it (Corona’s opening statement) is treated as a direct testimony, we will have to cross-examine him,” Justiniano said.
On Corona’s dare for the 188 congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint to issue a waiver, Justiniano said he would leave that to the discretion of the congressmen.
“Just ask them. I’m not a congressman. I don’t have a SALN. If I have a bank account, it’s not even confidential,” the lawyer said. “The point here is why did he not declare the dollar accounts in his SALN?”
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RELATED STORY:
Corona may lose case because of ‘walkout’
By Jojo Malig
ABS-CBNnews.com
MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED) – Chief Justice Renato Corona stands to lose his impeachment case because of his apparent walkout from the Senate session hall Tuesday afternoon, analysts said.
University of Sto. Tomas Faculty of Civil Law Dean Nilo Divina said Corona’s testimony in trying to explain why he did not declare his dollar deposits in his statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth would have been “perfect” if not for his move to suddenly leave the witness stand without permission from the court.
“The testimony and performance would have been brilliant,” he told ANC. “All of these things were lost because of the walkout.”
“We hope that the chief justice allows himself to be cross examined or his statement will be stricken off the record,” Divina said.
“I am afraid for him that the senators will render a judgement against him,” he added.
Political analyst Malou Tiquia echoed Divina’s assessment.
“He already had the upper hand, and suddenly he stood up,” she said.
“Sayang lang yung effort to explain. Sasabihin ng taumbayan ‘o nag-explain ka eh bakit ka tumakbo?’” she added.
She also questioned Corona’s offer of a conditional waiver on the disclosure of his dollar accounts.
“The waiver should have not been conditional,” she said. “If you offer a waiver, it should not be conditional to others.”
Integrated Bar of the Philippines president Roan Libarios agreed.
“Yung lakas ng kanyang testimony was negated by what he did,” he said.
ANC’s Teddy Locsin Jr. said in his “Teditorial” Tuesday night that Corona “snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.”
“Corona had won, and then he lost. He conditioned his own waiver on all 189 (congressmen and Senator Franklin Drilon) signing them all,” he said.
“I understand the overwhelming contempt that Corona felt for the court — presiding justice Enrile’s judicious brilliance notwithstanding — but his walkout destroyed the effect he produced,” Locsin said.
Sudden end
Corona suddenly stood up and left the witness stand after ending his opening statement on day 40 of his trial.
Enrile had to order security to padlock the Senate exit gates, even as Corona’s vehicle was seen parked outside the Senate building exit waiting for the chief justice.
Corona later returned on a wheelchair and his chief legal counsel Serafin Cuevas said his client suddenly experienced low blood sugar or hypoglycemia.
Enrile was left fuming over Corona’s walkout.
He gave the Corona and his defense until Wednesday for the chief justice to be subjected to cross examination.
“He could have excused himself from the court,” he told Cuevas.
“If Corona refuses to be cross examined, senator-judges will decide based only on the evidence that has been presented,” he added.
Enrile stressed that Corona’s testimony will be stricken off the record if he does not allow himself to be cross examined.
Prosecutors also denounced Corona’s apparent walkout, calling it an insult to the impeachment court.
Prosecution spokesperson Rep. Sonny Angara said Corona had long complained about not being given due process but he denied people the chance to ask him questions.
He said Corona’s actions were embarrassing, adding he did not think “he [Corona] would sink this low.”
House Deputy Speaker Lorenzo Tañada III said Corona’s actions were premeditated.
He said the chief justice’s action was a challenge to the impeachment court and an apparent affront to its authority.
Tañada also downplayed Corona’s challenge for 188 congressmen and Senator Franklin Drilon to sign waivers on the disclosure of their assets.
He said congressmen’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALNs) already have a disclosure waiver.
