The impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona goes on a break for five weeks for the Lenten season. You have to wonder why the Senate cannot even be flexible enough to delay the schedule of their regular hiatus considering the country is gripped with a matter that is of utmost importance that does not happen every year. Besides, last I heard Catholics around the globe observe Holy Week for one week only, so why should the Senators need more than that? These so-called impeachment court judges might be wearing a robe now but they are not the real men in robes who spend their time praying. We can only hope that all the players in this trial become more rational after coming out of their religious retreats or to be more precise, their holiday vacations in Boracay or some posh beach resort elsewhere.
A lot can happen between now and then. There are people wondering if President Noynoy Aquino and his communication team can keep their word that they “would no longer comment on the trial.†That remains to be seen. After all, they are not above twisting their own words to justify breaking their promises. Indeed, PNoy may have promised to stop talking about CJ’s trial but it seems he is letting survey firms do the talking.
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Media outlets said to be owned and operated by friends and family members of PNoy still have the result of the latest survey, which says that Chief Justice Corona’s approval rating “plunged 24 percentage points to just 14 percent†as their front-page headline. Don’t be surprised if these media outlets maintain that bit of irrelevant information as their “top breaking news†until May or until the trial ends. This is the same news item that highlights “Mr. Aquino’s high trust and satisfaction ratings showed that the public was feeling the effects of the administration’s programs against poverty and corruption†despite the Noynoying rage going viral and even making it to international news. Cheap tricks don’t come any cheaper than this.
Aside from the help provided by survey firms, media pundits and celebrity wannabes like Juana Change are also assisting the prosecution steer the public perception their way. Ms Change recently created a video that insinuates that some of the Senator judges are biased for Corona and that ultimately, it is the will of the Filipino people that matters; never mind that in the same video, she admitted that majority of Filipinos do not even understand what is going on in the trial.
The prosecution, through their spokesperson, Juan Edgardo Angara even hinted during the break that they “may search for more properties owned by Chief Justice Renato Corona outside Metro Manila in light of a revelation of a Land Registration Authority (LRA)…†Their failure to do this prior to the trial says a lot about their competence levels. They only realized their search for properties owned by the Coronas may have been too narrow after it was revealed that LRA administrator Eulalio Diaz III limited his research of Corona et al’s properties to Metro Manila. It was interesting to note that it was Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile who hinted during the trial that the prosecution conduct this expanded search — something that caused some people to start doubting his motives. There was no point in Enrile mentioning it considering they already have too much on their plate and it was already too late for the prosecution to submit any more findings as evidence since they had already rested their case. Enrile might be taking this “liberality†with the prosecution to a new level.
But I may be overestimating what the prosecution will do during the break. They never made any preparations for their presentation in the past, so why should they start doing so now? Judging from the statements of lead prosecutor Niel Tupas, Jr during his interview with ANC anchor, Karen Davila, it seems like the prosecution can continue to relax during the Easter break. This is what he had to say:
“It’s been 34 days. Prosecution was able to present evidence. We feel we have presented an overwhelming case vs Corona.â€
And
“So far we haven’t seen substantial evidence to help the defense.â€
Frankly, I’ve heard a lot of people say that listening to Tupas speak is like listening to a psychopath. Some say that his behavior can be mistaken for something that fits the description of the term. Psychopaths are said to have “a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others and the rules of society. Psychopaths have a total lack of empathy and remorse, and have very shallow emotions. They are generally regarded as callous, selfish, dishonest, arrogant, aggressive, impulsive, irresponsible, and hedonistic.†Actually, one can be forgiven for saying that the description pretty much describes most of the prosecution team.
It’s quite baffling how the prosecution can still go on stating before the media that they have a “strong†case when in fact, some of the Senator Judges themselves are already calling on them to apologize for misleading the public:
Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday challenged the prosecutors to issue a public correction of their earlier charge that Chief Justice Renato Corona owned 45 real estate properties after they stipulated in open court that at least 21 of these did not belong to him.
“We’re not playing ball here. If they made the announcement in a press conference, the correction should also be made in a press conference. I think (the prosecutors) should correct themselves,†Legarda told reporters.
The senator noted that spokespersons of the prosecution panel went to town shortly before Corona’s impeachment trial began in January and accused the Chief Justice of failure to report the properties he allegedly owned.
I don’t think that asking them to apologize for misleading the public is enough. The prosecution should not only be cited for contempt, the judges should likewise call for a mistrial. Why a mistrial? Because the prosecution committed practically all conceivable violations under the sun just to file a case, get a subpoena, and influence the public and the Senator Judges. It goes without saying that Chief Justice Corona has not been given a fair trial from the very start.
It is actually a bit odd that the court is still tolerating the behavior of the prosecution — perhaps all because the Senators want to please the “public†and appear “impartialâ€. It was Senator Jinggoy Estrada who confirmed during an interview that they didn’t want the public to say that they were delaying the trial by holding a pre-trial. A pre-trial would have prevented the wrong evidence and witnesses from being presented and could have saved them time. Obviously, the wrong assumption regarding the public’s perception has taken its toll on everyone most especially, the public.
At this stage, rational people can already see that even if the case still pushes through, the verdict should not be more than (1) correction of Corona’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) and (2) amending of the existing laws. The new SALN form can help guide public servants including Corona on how to include all the assets and liabilities necessary for promoting transparency. Amending the existing laws on banking and taxation of allowances can patch up some loopholes in some laws and help prosecutors in the future.
All of the wrongs that the prosecutors alleged Corona to have committed are not entirely Corona’s fault. It is not against the law to sell a property to a second cousin; it is not against the law for the buyer to delay transferring the title of the property to his name just like what Nonoy Vicente did; it is not against the law to sell or give the property to your own children; it is not against the law to receive legitimate allowances from your employer, which in turn can help you save and buy investment properties; it is not against the law to hold a bank account where you can keep your savings. So therefore, Tupas was wrong in saying that they have presented an overwhelming case against Corona.
Surprisingly, there are Senator Judges who still know how to analyse what is happening. As the events unfolded on the last day before the break, Senator Ralph Recto said “he is of the perception that the proceeds from the sale of the lot, on which the New Sampaloc Public Market now stands, may be the same P34.7 million deposited in peso accounts in the name of the chief justice in the Katipunan Avenue branch of PSBank—and later withdrawn on the day Corona was impeached by the House of Representatives.â€
The defense may have something else in mind in terms of how best to explain Corona’s accounts, which is why lead counsel for defense, Serafin Cuevas could not confirm nor deny Recto’s clarification. The trial before the Easter break certainly left some people with more questions to ask. As they say, justice delayed is justice denied.
[Photo courtesy GMA News Online.]
In life, things are not always what they seem.
Since day one of the trial it was an administration farce. The prosecution did not present the stellar performance expected by the great leader. Their lack of knowledge in trial procedure, their bloopers and shoddy presentation of evidence including fabrications speaks for itself. Mr. Aquino was so mad that he shouted at them. Here is a humorous you tube link for you guys to chill and laugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hoVObo5nURM
Thanks for sharing!
I apologize Ilda. The link is not operating. Must be a bug in the system.
Yeah, I was just about to say that.
Dehr Fuhrer
I agree that it was a farce right from the start. They don’t have anything. They thought that threatening the CJ with dragging every member of his family in the case will compel him to resign instead a la Mercedita.
It’s obvious that it was only when the CJ called their bluffs when they started to formalize their fishing of evidence.
For the prosecution as it is right now, there’s only one way – lamunin na lang ang kahihiyan. Even for some anti-due process commenters here, in particular Maher boy aka American boy aka Joe America, lamunin mo na lang ang kahihiyan.
Anyway, you are all have no shame!
Shameless!
Smart move of the defense then for (figuratively) just shrugging, smiling, and simply saying “not true” when confronted with the 45 properties claim.
It gets anNOYing and insulting though that the persecution just as literally shrugs, smiles, and simply says “not true” when confronted with their own stupidity on the 45 properties claim.
Because of the ridiculous court rules where they apply a lot of liberality in favor of the prosecution, the defense can only watch in dismay sometimes. You get this impression that the senators are just making up the rules as they go.
amazing how comfortably the prosecutors, bs and his mouthpieces, and the rest of their ilk, LIE to the people…and get away with it. i guess this shouldn’t surprise me since apparently, 70% of the people TRUST bs. my, how people’s standards for trust have fallen. tsk.
i am appalled at all this black, or more precisely, yellow, propaganda that’s being used to sabotage the trial. i really don’t mind people being pro or anti corona, as long as they form their opinion on facts/evidence presented. as long as they are FAIR. sadly, people like diaz who deliberately spread falsehoods have already prejudiced people so much so that the impeachment trial will never be fair, regardless of the outcome.
i wonder how bs et al could sleep soundly at night.
more power to you, ilda! 🙂
There are so many fake documents going around nowadays. I saw someone share a document on Facebook stating that Mrs Corona wasn’t authorised to negotiate on behalf of the corporation. Unfortunately, so many gullible people believe it even if the document hasn’t been submitted in court yet.
exactly…unfortunately, the zombies will lap it up. tsk.
Well, I for one, will admit my contribution to the problem.
I wanted Erap out. I wanted him impeached. I was angry with the closed envelope. I was happy when they kicked him out. I was willing to let the constitution be bent just a little.
But it was wrong. Due process was sacrificed. And the genie was let out of the bottle.
EDSA 1 was right. Unique. Real. All other “People Power” events since then has been a sham. Including the way Erap was run out of office.
And now it is the most commonly used political weapon in the country. “The rights of the people!” “In the name of Truth!” “J’Accuse!”
The best way to stop crime and corruption is to respect and follow the law. Period. That’s why it’s there…..
I’m glad you realise that now. It’s a shame a lot of those who went to the first EDSA are still nostalgic and still justify using it to remove an elected official.
Main message for me is, if they really want Corona punished, they’re doing it the wrong way. They’re digging up the wrong stuff. And perhaps if Corona is guilty of something, it is likely nothing impeachable.
And here’s another psychopath. Wow. hehe.
They should have done it properly. Too bad for them Corona did not get bullied into resigning.
Hmm, no sign of the idiot known as VBA.
It seems that he is still butt hurt over being humiliated at that other article.
or baka nagpaalam kay sir ricky para magbakasyon muna sa probinsya.
Tupas and company used the Big Lie technique – the more outrageous the claim, the more you believe it. Unfortunately they refuse to accept that theirs has already been debunked.
The prosecution have made one thing unbelievably clear, though. CJ Corona’s sin, according to them, wasn’t that he violated the law. His sin was that he violated their master Noynoy by disagreeing with him.
Isn’t the lying that the prosecution did grounds for disbarment?
not unbelievably, undoubtedly, oops sorry
It should be grounds for their disbarment. Unfortunately, I think the judges are too scared to do anything. It goes to show they are not really independent from the executive branch.
Senate. Torn between non-noytards and the Zombie king.
And oh, ted failon has an expose involving Atienza. FAILon ngayon.
The Senators should follow their own conscience.
Drilon was really opportunistic when he tried to humiliate his political enemy infront of the media. How can they encourage Corona to take the witness stand with that kind of bullying? Mahina ang utak nila.
Tupas, Quimbo, Angara, Tanada — the new heroes of our time. Keep up the good work. You are indeed an inspiration to all Filipinos. You give us hope that the country could still be great as Pnoy has envisioned it to be. Mabuhay kayong lahat. You make us proud to be Filipinos.
“Frankly, I’ve heard a lot of people say that listening to Tupas speak is like listening to a psychopath. Some say that his behavior can be mistaken for something that fits the description of the term. Psychopaths are said to have “a personality disorder characterized by a pervasive pattern of disregard for the rights of others and the rules of society. Psychopaths have a total lack of empathy and remorse, and have very shallow emotions. They are generally regarded as callous, selfish, dishonest, arrogant, aggressive, impulsive, irresponsible, and hedonistic.†Actually, one can be forgiven for saying that the description pretty much describes most of the prosecution team.”
Please tell me that was sarcasm, JP.
Not sarcasm but a sincere statement reflecting the sentiments of the Filipino youth
They’re not reflecting the sentiments of the Filipino youth. In fact, why do you trust these so called POLITICIANS.
Not reflection but PURE TROLLING. 😛
I’m 25, so I guess you can count me as part of the “Filipino youth.”
And I disagree with you.
Please, I’m within that bracket and that’s not my sentiment.
You can’t even admit that you’re sarcastic. Even Tupas and Quimbo are crooks because of corruption and their incompetence.
Delusional malicious comments detected. Requesting for deletion.
“The prosecution’s violations should compel the senators to call for a mistrial” — A proclamation of defeat of Corona
@JohnPaul:
Obvious troll is indeed obvious.
Yellow zombie detected. Only fools who are gullible enough to believe on the incompetent prosecution as ‘heroes.’
Delusional indeed. 😛
“It’s quite baffling how the prosecution (and their supporters) can still go on stating before the media that they have a “strong†case when in fact, some of the Senator Judges themselves are already calling on them to apologize for misleading the public:
Senator Loren Legarda on Thursday challenged the prosecutors to issue a public correction of their earlier charge that Chief Justice Renato Corona owned 45 real estate properties after they stipulated in open court that at least 21 of these did not belong to him.
I don’t think that asking them to apologize for misleading the public is enough. The prosecution should not only be cited for contempt, the judges should likewise call for a mistrial. Why a mistrial? Because the prosecution committed practically all conceivable violations under the sun just to file a case, get a subpoena, and influence the public and the Senator Judges. It goes without saying that Chief Justice Corona has not been given a fair trial from the very start.”
“The prosecution’s violations should compel the senators to call for a mistrial†— A proclamation of defeat of Corona”
What the hell are you talking about TROLL?
How is that even a proclamation of defeat for corona????
Your IQ is clearly very low to come up with that idiotic conclusion.
Corona camp and their supporters calling for a mistrial… The only way out from the mess they’re into?
If you haven’t been watching the trial, you can go to YouTube or ANC and watch the back episodes. Once you’ve finished watching, you will realise that it is the prosecution that is in a mess. 😉
Yes, Corona is calling for a mistrial. It’s true because Noynoy and his minions are the cause of this mess. Corona is right: they did this in order to save his Hacienda Luisita and that’s it. Makes sense?
JohnPaul, you’re mind is a waste.
Breaking news…
Corona unable to explain daughter’s capacity to purchase in cash a $269K California condominium and a Php6.2M Mckinley property in the same year(2008)
Mr. JohnPaul, are you quoting a news source? Then, you better cite it. Since you’re not citing any, I take it that you’re the source of this breaking news. I sure do hope you’re not making it up.
JohnPaul is a uncivilized human being. A sad little TROLL. Because he sees tsismis as ‘truth’.
TSIMIS. It’s more fun in the Philippines.
Old news: PNoy and his supporters keep using hearsays or “tsismis” to back up their claims.
nice miss Ilda, i like ur way of arguing or whatever u call it, objective kasi and very factual. ung mga hindi makagets sa sinasabi mo, ililihis nlng kasi topic, or mang-a-accuse na pro-corona. may pattern .lagi sila ganun. and palaban, and walang respect, hindi civil. hindi naman sa nilalahat ko sila, pero ganun na nga! heheheh.
Thanks. These trolls always resort to attacking the messenger instead of the message.
Breaking news…
Student poll at 5 universities shows ‘high distrust’ of Corona —
So?
Those 5 universities are headed by most leftists who wants to destroy this country. You’re also part of them.
Am I right, TROLL???
You’re just like vincensus ignoramus you dumb flip: relying too much on survey as the truth.
Breaking news…
Corona’s daughter bought California and The Fort properties 22 days of each other
Your news is epic fail dumb flip.
Hehe, the purpose of your breaking news is in order for you to TROLL on everyone.
You’re just fishing BTW. You really love to delude yourself didn’t you?
http://dangersigns.blogspot.com/2012/03/raissa-robles-strengthens-corona.html
Breaking news…
“Corona changes story on California property”
Can he really be trusted?
You got it from Raissa Robles and unfortunately, you use ‘tsismis’ to back up your claims.
My question: Can PNoy be trusted? If you say yes, then I feel sorry for you. 😛
Not only is this guy just posting the title of headlines from media outlets, he doesn’t even have his own insight on the matter. I hope he’s not expecting us to take him seriously.
The Filipino Youth should always be taken seriously. In our hands lie the future of the Nation
If the Filipino youth would ride the waves of mediocrity and stupidity and chaos, then the likes of you should never hold the future of this country.
Even Jose Rizal said this: “Tal Pueblo, Tal Gobierno.” I bet you vote PNoy, believing in his false promises and what not so you failed the “So What’ test. Lee Kuan Yew and Mahathir will take a word on you.
We take it seriously that you are a mob full of impressionable minds that are easily swayed by demagogues.
As the more tech-savvy, idealist, and eager-to-change-the-world demographic, you are expected to be able to have a well-rounded opinion and knowledge pool
Don’t destroy your own enthusiasm with gullibility and mediocrity. If you want to be taken seriously ,do your homework
“…he doesn’t even have his own insight on the matter.”.
No need for my humble insights, the Filipino people speak for me and they have SPOKEN.
And if the Filipino peole you spoke of are nothing but an angry, gullible foolish mob who were brainwashed by the media, then I feel sorry for you.
You just speak for YOURSELF. Brainwashed TROLL confirmed.
A lot of Filipinos are also speaking against the prosecution’s violations.
Because you cannot share your own analysis, it means you are one of the gullible who cannot think independently.
Uhmm…who are you and what right have you to claim that the Filipino people have spoken for you???
Those manicured surveys do not even count as the sample size is too small and the area covered is not even significant to be said valid as an overall opinion by the people.
You insult us here by saying as Filipinos we agree with you and have followed suit to your lousy analysis of the matter. You are forgetting that most article writers and readers here are Filipinos and yes, majority are youth.
Nakakaloka ka ha. Ikaw na ang embodiment ng taumbayan. iKAW NA kami. Happy?
Breaking news …
“Senator-Judge Juan Ponce Enrile has performed the difficult task of presiding officer with enormous patience, skill, and wisdom. Lately, however, the senator appears to have succumbed to the cries of those who demand Corona’s head. Instead of keeping his opinions to himself and to the caucuses of the tribunal, he has been making public pronouncements that sound partisan.
Senator Enrile has gone on record to insist that the chief justice should appear before the tribunal and explain his bank accounts. This decision should be left entirely to Corona and to his defense team.”
Thank you JPE for siding with the TRUTH. You are a noble man.
— The Filipino People
I guess you do not know the meaning of “partisan”. It means he needs to inhibit himself if he is obviously siding with one party. This gives the defense more valid reason to call for a mistrial.
The truth is, some of these Senators are out to embarrass and humiliate Corona just like what they did to other people during their so-called Senate inquiries. They are not after the truth. They just want to grandstand.
Breaking news …
“… the very popular blog site Raissa Robles: Inside Politics and Beyond has a least 1 visitor for every 5 seconds coming from all parts of the world.”
For all truth seekers please check-out this site:
http://raissarobles.com/
Just be patient. Due to heavy traffic, it is very difficult to connect to the site.
How do you know her blogsite has 1 visitor for every 5 seconds? Are you her husband? Unless you have access to her site stats, you are just making things up.
I can’t even leave a comment there because she keeps putting dissenting views in her spam folder. She just wants comments that agree with her views. Pikon
It’s quite disturbing that her fans mistake her unverified reports and opinions as “facts”. It says a lot about their ability to think.
Anyway, the fact that you are still here means that you enjoy this blogsite more than hers. 😉
I’m not her husband nor do I know her personally (am just a lowly Ateneo student). I have no access to her site stats. I quoted the ‘breaking news’ excerpt from a Phil. Star article. I also heard the same info (though, said differently) in an ABS-CBN newscast.
Do I enjoy this blogsite more? Oh, well…
isn’t it obvious?
If you really are an Atenean, I thank you for shaming my primary education alma mater. Do you even know what “breaking news” means?
In all seriousness… What you’re doing is no different from trolling. Talo ka pa ni Vincenzo, at least siya “nakikipagdebate.” Puros hit-and-run lang nakita ko sa iyo e. Come on, put us in our place by embarrassing us with the sapientia et eloquentia you learned in the Ateneo.
JP, Auriga,
http://ph.news.yahoo.com/corona-finds-more-allies-in-alma-mater.html
You enjoy TROLLING, that’s why.
You need to stay away from A Bullshite Company Broadcasting Nonsense (ABS-CBN). It’s biased, man. And it sucks.
This whole circus was never about “justice”. The whole point was just to destroy Corona’s name.
Whatever the verdict will be, the yellow machinery’s mission is accomplished. The majority will not trust Corona anymore.
“You mess with HLI, we will destroy your name.”
I just hope that same majority will see how incompetent the prosecution and the people (especially this current admin) backing this case up is.
So true. Just look at the statements of some here who say that they are “riding the same wave of pubic sentiment that you see reflected in the polls.” Gees. They are so gullible.
nice miss Ilda , i really like it