MikeLigalig.com

By The Philippines News Agency

Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona on Friday, despite his health condition, returned to the witness stand on Friday to pursue his testimony, which he himself abruptly curtailed last Tuesday.

Corona, aboard a blue Medical City ambulance that traveled from Pasig with a convoy of vehicles that included his security detail, doctors and his family members -- wife Cristina and children Francis and Carla -- arrived at around 1:18 p.m. Friday at the Senate Building in Pasay City.

The chief justice was admitted in the hospital late Tuesday after delivering a three-hour opening statement at the Senate, sitting as impeachment court.

”I humbly ask for apology for what has happened last Tuesday. It was totally unexpected and I became disoriented due to the extreme situation I have gone through,” Corona said as he returned to the impeachment court.

”I’m really humbly asking for forgiveness to the Senate, to the prosecution, the Filipino people and to my defense team because they really have no knowledge that it’s going to happen,” he added.

Corona, a diabetic, explained that he suffered from hypoglycemia, a sudden drop of blood sugar that made him dizzy and prompted him to leave the session hall without the permission of Senate President and Presiding Officer Juan Ponce Enrile.

He denied his action was a walkout, adding “I still have to read two pages of my statement.”

”The heartaches that I have experienced for the almost six months cannot be described and I have sleepless nights for almost a week before I took the witness stand. I could not eat and was nervous before Tuesday’s hearing. So please forgive me,” said Corona.

The prosecution team accepted the apology of Corona as it decided not to cross-examine the chief magistrate who has to sign a waiver on his health condition just to meet the 48-hour deadline given to him to return to the witness stand.

”Due to fragile situation of the chief justice, the prosecution will no longer cross-examine him. We wish for the chief justice, your speedy recovery,” said prosecution private lawyer Mario Bautista.

”Thank you!,” Corona responded.

The prosecution’s decision not to cross-examine the chief magistrate was also in response to the promise of the House lead prosecutor, Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. that they will no longer conduct cross-examination if the defense will not conduct direct examination to the chief justice.

”The defense will no longer conduct direct examination,” said defense lead counsel former Justice Serafin Cuevas.

Corona then submitted to the presiding officer his unconditional waiver that would give permission to the impeachment court, the banks, and other concerned institutions to scrutinize his bank deposits, including foreign currency deposits.

”I’m submitting this (waiver) without condition. I will no longer ask others to sign the waiver,” he said.

At the sidelines of the impeachment trial, Corona's wife Cristina, during a break in the proceedings, walked up to her cousins -- the siblings Ana, Carmen, Isabel, Francheska and Eric Basa -- and embraced them one by one.

Corona’s daughter, Carla, also approached the siblings and hugged them. Most of them were in tears.

Cristina later took the siblings to the witness stand, where the chief justice remained seated during the break. There, Corona also embraced the Basa siblings.

The feud between the two families, triggered by a property dispute between Cristina and her uncle, the late Jose Basa, has stretched for three decades, and was even dragged into the impeachment trial of the chief justice.

Meanwhile, Corona, during clarificatory question by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, admitted to owning US$ 2.4 million but "never at any time" having US$ 10-12 million deposit in only four and not 82 dollar bank accounts.

”Never at any time had US$ 10 or US$ 11 or US$ 12 million. I have only US$ 2.4 million. That’s already my biggest dollar deposit,” he said.

Corona also admitted he has also peso deposit amounting to P80 million, including the P34 million funds that the Basa-Guidote Enterprises, a company owned by the family of his wife Cristina, has entrusted to him.

”My peso accounts have P80 million in co-mingled funds because it includes funds from the Basa-Guidote property sale,” he said.

The chief magistrate said that he did not declare his dollar deposit in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) due to the "absolute confidentiality" as provided by Republic Act 6426 or Foreign Currency Deposit Act.

Corona also said he would not resign amid what he claimed as pressures for him to quit as chief magistrate of the land.

Corona also admitted that he withdrew millions of funds deposited in banks after he was impeached by the House of Representatives on December 12, saying he had received a tip that authorities would move to freeze his accounts.

Corona, upon questioning by Sen. Francis Pangilinan, said "friends from Malacanang" called him up and told him that his bank accounts would be frozen.

"I still have friends working in Malacanang. Some of them called to warn me that my accounts will be frozen," he told Pangilinan.

The chief justice said he just wanted to protect what was his and what he earned throughout his career.

Corona also said he started depositing in dollars between 1972 and 1973.

After more than three hours on the witness stand, the embattled chief justice was allowed to leave the Senate impeachment court due to his health condition.

The Senate then submitted Corona's impeachment case for final resolution, subject to the oral arguments of both the prosecution and defense panel on Monday. '

”This case is now submitted for final resolution by this impeachment court subject to the oral argument of the two sides to be held next Monday at 2 o’clock in the afternoon," Enrile said.

Enrile said both the prosecution and the defense panels would be given an equal time of one hour each for the oral argument.

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