On day 27, defense panel making everyone look like fools?

What happened in the hearing today?

1. Senate will not accept any presentation of future witnesses on articles 1,4,5,6, and 8 and will not make a judgment on the articles. Call it perseverance for Cuevas, he is trying to drag the trial to a long long unbearable hearing.

2. Cuevas wanted to resurrect a preliminary hearing which was already decided by the Senate a loooong looong time ago!

3. Cuevas asserts that the impeachment hearing is invalid since the complaint was not properly presented or filed.


4. A voluntary witness, Congressman Tiangco was encouraged to testify about the impeachment hearing of, hold your hats, not of the Chief Justice, but of Merceditas Gutierez, the former personal Ombudsman of GMA :). The Defense claim that politics and intimidation (like non-release of public pork barrel funds) played a part in the approval of the impeachment proceedings. Oh, of course, impeachments are political proceedings! Also Cong. Tiangco DID not sign approval of the impeachment of the Chief Justice. This is a dilatory tactic of the defense. It looks like Tiangco does not act like a politician, but acted childish!

5. Now every one knows the phone number of the DBM secretary, which is a lapse of judgement on the part of the Congressman.

6. Prosecution should learn to object quickly to witnesses statements. Being a first timer is not a good reason, they should have learned already on the first 26 days of the trial.


7. Defense is showing hesitancy in presenting evidence about undeclared peso and dollar accounts.

8. Cong. Tiangco talks about Congressional proceedings, and we know that Congress is NOT the one on trial. The effect of Tiangco is to put Congress to unnecessary scrutiny. Call it political entertainment, but this just lengthens the hearing.


Well everyone does not feel good day today, but it is the defense panel that looks the most foolish of all today!

Let's admit it. There is loss of confidence on Chief Justice Corona.

Let us admit that the President of the Philippines has lost confidence on the capacity of the embattled Chief Justice Renato Corona. For did not president Aquino lambasted the chief justice in front of him at the First National Criminal Justice Summit hosted by the Department of Justice at the Manila Hotel last December 5, 2011?

Let us admit that the a majority of the House of Representatives, 188 in number, more than the required 1/3 of the House of Representatives initiated the impeachment proceedings last December 12, 2011?

Let us admit that one Senator, Sen. Frank Drilon, an LP party member even listed the number of cases which the Supreme Court flipped flopped or the Chief Justice has shown unhealthy partiality to the former president of the Republic Gloria Macapagal Arroyo?

Let us admit that the World Bank felt being used as a pig bank by the Judiciary for spending on travels one of which is to a conference managed by one Estelito Mendoza who has active cases in the Supreme Court?
[NOTE: Manila Bulletin: World Bank denies JRSP report]. ]

Let us admit that mayors of big cities (League of Mayors) are angry that the SC has flipped and flopped on the status ot towns which many not have reached the required minimum for populationn to be a city or did not reach the minimum of tax collections?

Our institutions have lost confidence on the leadership of Chief Justice Corona over the Supreme Court.

Alas the only way to remove corona by legal means is by impeachment. In Japan, people in power have committed seppuko (hara-kiri) when they feel people have lost their trust and confidence in them.

Let us hope that the prosecution will be strong and presents strong evidence.

Let Corona squirm in his seat in the following days.
Let him file a leave of absence in the Supreme Court. Lets remove him from office, the man is morally unfit!


Click for a timeline of the trial.