Corona

Guilty Corona (May 26, 2012)

Come next week, the senate impeachment trial of Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato C. Corona will come to an end.  If my memory serves me right, there were at least 7 articles of impeachment filed against him but the amateurish bungling of the House Prosecutors reduced the case to a simple non-declaration of assets in the Statement of Assets and Liabilities.

The stupidity of the House Prosecutors was such that from all initial indications, CJ Corona might get acquitted.  It is not that the Chief Justice has an excellent defense lawyers, it’s just that the prosecution and its stupidity was of legendary proportion.  But when the defense had the ball, they too, bungled and called the Ombudsman (in the person of Conchita Carpio Morales) to testify for the defense who ironically nailed CJ Corona with her telling testimony about millions of dollar in several dollar accounts via the Anti-Money Laundering Council Report.

Long story short, CJ Corona was compelled to testify to save his own skin, unfortunately for him, hubris and his sense of entitlement was revealed in the latter part of his opening statement (which lasted for three long hours) and to compound the play, he walked out of the senate procedure without the expressed permission of the Senate Presiding Officer thus incurring the anger of the impeachment court because of discourtesy.

CJ Corona was compelled by the Senate to return to the floor, and this time around, he is hiding in cloak of his diabetes, playing the sick man – but the damage have been done.  Senators were offended by the apparent discourtesy and hubris of the Chief Justice.  Later on, this discourtesy will hang the Chief Justice and hand him a conviction.

When CJ Corona returned two days later after a forced stay at the hospital, the mood and the texture of the trial have shifted against the Chief Justice and even with the apology and the unconditional waiver (to open all of his peso and dollar accounts), the shadow of acquittal is just not there anymore.

Come next week, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court will be convicted because of the discourtesy walk out, but more than that, he will be convicted because moral fitness.  He claims that he is exempted from complying fully of the Statement of Assets and Liabilities Law because there is a contrasting Foreign Currency Law.  That claim is where the issue of moral fitness comes in; he is no longer fit to wield the office of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.  Tragically, he was examined by the country and was found wanting.

I really cannot wait for May 29, 2012 to come.  On that day, our first trip towards moral recovery takes its first giant step.  Interesting times indeed.