Under Trial

"Never in the history of this nation has the Republican system of Government under the Constitution been threatened in such cavalier fashion." It was a valiant statement made by Renato “CJ” Corona about his impeachment case as the Supreme chief justice.

Breaking news and updates always seen in television nowadays. The Cj Corona trial became controversial for it is said that it was the first time in history to file a impeachment charges against the supreme chief justice as the chief magistrate described the exercise "the single most destructive legislative act" in Philippine history.

The chief justice stated how his impeachment by the lower House by allies of the Aquino administration "came like a thief in the night," interposed by "undue haste," and in "blitzkrieg fashion," passed by 188 lawmakers. He accused it as President Benigno Aquino III's Liberal Party’s handiwork to appoint the chief justice, instigate and ordered the filing of impeachment charges.

"A fair assessment of the prevailing political climate will support the contention that the filing of the Articles of Impeachment was the handiwork of the Liberal Party alone. Surely,” Corona said, “one cannot ignore the inexplicable readiness of the Members of the House to instantly agree to sign the Articles of Impeachment. Without much effort, one reaches the inevitable conclusion that President Benigno C. Aquino III as, the head of the Liberal Party, must have been 'in' on the plan from inception."

"This intemperate demonstration of political might is a fatal assault on the independent exercise of judicial power. Falsely branded as an attempt at checks and balances -- and even accountability -- we are witnessing a callous corruption of our democracy in this staged impeachment.”

"Never in the history of this nation has the Republican system of Government under the Constitution been threatened in such cavalier fashion," he added.

The impeachment concerns

There were many issues involved in this impeachment trial.

Article I in impeachment charges accused the Chief Magistrate of being partial to the Arroyo administration through various decisions rendered by the high tribunal. Corona bore the burden of how he was appointed by the former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo when the latter is questionable for making a appointment.

Article II of the complaint alleges that Corona failed to disclose his Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth (SALN). It was highly debated now on the senate.

Article III accuses Corona of allowing the Supreme Court to act on mere letters from a counsel in the landmark labor case of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) vs. Philippine Airlines (PAL), resulting in "flip-flopping" decisions. Corona was allegedly of using court funds for personal purposes.

The allegation in Article IV was his responsible for the high tribunal's issuance of a status quo ante order(SQAO) in favor of former Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez, who, like him, faced impeachment proceedings at the lower House.

The administration's allies alleged that Corona, in Article V, failed to maintain the principle of immutability of final judgments in the FASAP, League of Cities, and Navarro vs. Ermita cases.

Article VI questions the investigation conducted by the high court on the plagiarism complaint vs. Associate Justice Mariano Del Castillo, who, incidentally, also faces impeachment proceedings before the House of Representatives.

Article VII alleges that the Supreme Court's issuance of a temporary restraining order(TRO) on the Department of Justice's(DOJ) travel ban on former President Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel, was "hasty" and "improper."

The allegation in the last Article that he "failed and refused" to report on the status of the Judiciary Development Fund(JDF) and the Special Allowance for the Judiciary(SAJ) and failed to remit to the Bureau of Treasury(BT) the SAJ collections.

Instability in Philippines political scene was the main effect of this issue that most of the senator’s and critics think. There’s nothing wrong in investigating the allegedly fault by the Supreme Chef Justice or anyone else in the government. However, along with this, the congress and the senate must learn how to manage their time to make laws and solution for our country’s biggest problem, poverty.

 [DISCLAMER:credits to the rightful owner of the picture above]