MikeLigalig.com

by ABS-CBN

The House of Representatives, meeting in plenary on Monday night, voted to impeach Chief Justice Renato Corona, making him the first head of the Philippine judiciary to be impeached.

After a House caucus that started Monday afternoon, a total of 188 congressmen signed the impeachment complaint accusing Corona of betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution.

The plenary ordered the House secretary-general to endorse the impeachment complaint to the Senate, where a trial will be held next year.

As of posting time, the session had already been suspended after an exchange of views between members of the House majority and minority.

The articles of impeachment were then electronically transmitted to the Senate.

House Justice Committee Chairman Niel Tupas told ANC's Primetime on Monday night that the House had been working on impeaching Corona since last year.

Tupas said the draft impeachment complaint was finalized last week, and some members of the House justice committee helped him.

During the House majority caucus on Monday afternoon, Tupas said he presented the impeachment complaint against Corona for around 30 minutes. After the presentation, only 2 members of the coalition asked questions, but the overwhelming majority then asked to sign the complaint.

"We thought we'd [only] get 100, but we got 188 [signatures]," he said.

Tupas said they used 3 grounds to impeach Corona, with 8 articles.

Among the issues raised are Corona's failure to file his Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth, and the appointment of his wife to a government corporation despite it being prohibited since he was already in the Supreme Court.

Tupas said the first 3 articles in the impeachment complaint specifically center on the way Corona "voted in cases."

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By Edu Punay (The Philippine Star) Updated December 19, 2011 12:00 AM


MANILA, Philippines - Chief Justice Renato Corona has put an end to calls for his resignation, choosing to fight his impeachment during trial at the Senate over a peaceful life he could enjoy should he relinquish his post.

The embattled Supreme Court chief admitted that resignation had crossed his mind. But he said he realized it would be more worthy defending the judiciary from attack by a President who he believes is slowly becoming a dictator.

“I am 63 years old already, the same age as one who has retired and has a peaceful life. If I give up, I probably will have that same life,” he said.

“But what will happen if we allow the executive to control the judiciary? Where will the oppressed go to if the SC will be subservient to the President?” he told public attorneys in his speech during their annual mandatory continuing legal education at the Manila Hotel last Thursday.

Corona said he believes fighting his impeachment for the independence of the judiciary and for the rule of law is his “obligation to the people.”



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