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The Corona Impeachment Trial
The Philippines for the first time in history, sets the stage for the impeachment of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court. Impeachment gives the House of Representatives the power to initiate impeachment cases with the Senate deciding on their outcomes.
Eight articles of impeachment have been filed against Chief Justice Renato Corona. This set of charges covers betrayal of public trust, violation of the Constitution and graft and corruption.
Chief Justice Corona’s defense team is led by former Associate Justice Serafin Cuevas. The prosecution led by Representative Neil Tupas Jr. is composed of 11 members of Congress and private prosecutors.
A total of 188 congressmen endorsed the impeachment complaint. At least two-thirds of the Senate or 16 of its members are needed for the Chief Justice to be convicted.
Implications of Historic Event
This historic event augurs well for the judiciary. It sends a signal to the country’s magistrates that the people are vigilant and this may result in their having second thoughts to performing below par in the highest court of the land.
Public opinion plays a significant role in this impeachment process. The senator-judges are expected to decide not solely on the legal merits of the case. They will most likely also respond to public clamor and popular sentiments.
Senator Antonio Trillanes III said in a recent speech that “Having established that impeachment is a political process, therefore, my verdict should not be based solely on evidence as it now becomes a matter of public policy”. Former Chief Justice Artemio Panganiban also wrote in his column in the Philippine Daily Inquirer, “Many commentators and analysts believe and profess that impeachment is a legal and judicial matter decided mainly by strict legalisms. By its nature however, impeachment belongs more to the people than to lawyers; more to public wisdom than to legalisms.”
Public opinion is however, not a single united voice. It does not come from a homogenous group of concerned citizens. The main vehicle for public opinion is the mass media. There are also the social institutions such as the church, government and schools. And to be included also are the social networking sites.
Whoever has control of public opinion then, becomes an influential factor in the impeachment trial. It will be a decisive factor in the acquittal or conviction of Chief Justice Corona.
Whatever the outcome of this impeachment trial is, the people expect that the next Chief Justice shall not be beholden to anyone and that the Supreme Court will not transform itself from a Court being perceived to be pro-Arroyo, to that of a Court being pro-Aquino.
