My Thoughts: The CJ Corona Impeachment Trial

Photo from here.

It is 20-3, ladies and gentlemen. The Guilty Camp had more than 2/3 of the votes to have Chief Justice Renato Corona impeached. The honorable judges who gave Guilty verdicts were:

1. Sen. Edgardo Angara

2. Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano

3. Sen. Pia Cayetano

4. Sen. Franklin Drilon

5. Senate Pro Tempore Jinggoy Estrada

6. Sen. Francis 'Chiz' Escudero

7. Sen. Teofisto Guingona III

8. Sen. Gregorio Honasan II

9. Sen. Panfilo Lacson

10. Sen. Manuel Lapid

11. Sen. Loren Legarda

12. Sen. Sergio Osmena III

13. Sen. Francis 'Kiko' Pangilinan

14. Sen. Aquilino 'Koko' Pimentel III

15. Sen. Ralph Recto

16. Sen. Ramon 'Bong' Revilla, Jr.

17. Senate Majority Leader Vicente 'Tito' Sotto III

18. Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV

19. Sen. Manuel Villar

20. Sen. Juan Ponce Enrile

The three judges who voted otherwise were:

1. Sen. Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos, Jr.

2. Sen. Joker Arroyo

3. Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago

I was not able to watch the entire 43 days of the impeachment trial but I believe that the majority of the judges who convicted Corona made their decisions based on logic and facts. It is not a matter of who gave better arguments, but, how the evidences were presented to be as credible as possible. The 20 judges found that Corona clearly violated the Constitution by failing to declare his real assets, liabilities and net worth through the SALN which is a mandatory form to be filled out by all government officials.

A SALN is but a form to others that tests the honesty of government officials. I believe that above all, more than the Constitution, it is the public trust that was violated by Corona by failing to disclose $2.4 million in his SALN. Whether or not it was clean money, still, he should have declared the amount.

Corona was terminated from his position as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.

May this trial be a reminder that still, no one is above the law.