Renato Corona, the 23rd chief justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, was impeached on December 12, 2011. Corona was the third official, after former President Joseph Estrada in 2000 and Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez in March 2011, to be impeached by the House of Representatives.
The Senate, convened as an impeachment court, began the impeachment trial on January 16, 2012. This was the second impeachment trial in the history of the Philippines, as Gutierrez had resigned prior to the start of her trial. On May 29, 2012, Corona was found guilty of article two of the articles of impeachment that had been filed against him pertaining to his failure to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth. He is the first public official who was removed and perpetually disqualified from holding public office.
Appointment of Corona as chief justice
Chief Justice Reynato Puno was to retire on May 17, 2010, seven days after the presidential election. However, the constitution prohibits President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo from appointing anyone two months before the presidential election up to the end of her term. This caused a suit to be brought to the Supreme Court, in which the high tribunal ruled on March 17, 2010, that the ban on appointments does not cover the judiciary. The court ruled on the case with finality on April 20, 2010, with nine justices concurring, one dissenting and two dismissing the petition for being premature. Chief Justice Puno and Associate Justices Corona and Antonio Carpio abstained from ruling on the case. The court then ordered the Judicial and Bar Council (JBC) to proceed with its nomination process and subsequently submit its shortlist of nominees for the Chief Justice to Arroyo.
Corona was appointed chief justice on May 12, 2010. He was the "most senior" Supreme Court justice among the four nominees of the JBC.
With Benigno Aquino III winning the election, he invited all heads of the three branches of government to his inauguration, although instead of the tradition of him being inaugurated by the chief justice, he instead chose to be sworn in by Associate Justice Conchita Carpio-Morales, the sole dissenter on the case.
Conflict between Aquino and Corona On December 6, 2011, at the National Criminal Justice Summit at the Manila Hotel, Aquino said in a speech that Corona, who was seated meters away from him, is beholden to Arroyo. Aquino questioned the court's granting of a temporary restraining order lifting the watch list order of the Department of Justice against Arroyo, Arroyo's midnight appointment of Corona, and the ruling of Camarines Sur's two new legislative districts as constitutional despite falling short of the required population set by the Constitution.
Impeachment
On the December 12, 2011, flag-raising ceremony at the Supreme Court, Corona revealed that there was "a secret plan to oust me from office by any means, fair or foul." Corona said that he would not resign.
Later in the day, a caucus amongst Aquino's allies in the House of Representative was called. Minority leader Edcel Lagman said that discussion amongst Aquino's allies heightened when the Committee on Justice passed an impeachment case involving Associate Justice Mariano del Castillo on his alleged plagiarism. Lagman further said that if the vote passed, he would question its "legal and factual basis." The deputy presidential spokesperson, on the other hand, stated that the Palace "is not privy to the discussions of the Liberal Party in the House."
At the conclusion of the majority bloc's caucus, Committee on Justice chairman Niel Tupas Jr. presented the impeachment complaint; after the presentation, only two representatives asked for more questions, while an overwhelming majority asked to sign the complaint. He said that there were no instructions from the Palace to impeach Corona, nor was the pork barrel of representatives who did not sign would be held back, but he said that he informed the president of their decision to impeach Corona, and that the president supported it. The House of Representatives then voted in session to endorse the complaint, getting 188 votes, well above the one-third (95) of the members required by the Constitution.
Navotas representative Toby Tiangco resigned from the majority bloc, and the chairmanship of the Committee on Metro Manila Development, after the impeachment was passed by the House of Representatives. Tiangco said that the complaint was approved without the members of Congress scrutinizing it. Batangas 2nd District representative Hermilando Mandanas, who did not sign the complaint, was relieved of the chairmanship of the Committee on Ways and Means. Mandanas quoted Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. on saying that the Aquino administration wanted his removal. The majority bloc was not surprised with Tiangco's resignation from the majority, with Majority Leader Neptali Gonzales II describing Tiangco as a "maverick" and has "more than many times identified himself with the minority."
Articles of Impeachment These are the Articles of Impeachment against Chief Justice Renato Corona: # Case Violation 1 Partiality and subservience in cases involving the Arroyo administration from the time he was appointed as associate justice to the time of his 'midnight appointment' as chief justice. Betrayal of public trust 2 Failed to disclose to the public his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth as required under the Constitution. Betrayal of public trust and/or culpable violation of the constitution 3 Failing to meet and observe the stringent standards under the constitution that provides that "[a] member of the judiciary must be a person of proven competence, integrity, probity, and independence" in allowing the Supreme Court to act on mere letters filed by a counsel which caused the issuance of flip-flopping decisions in final and executory cases; in creating an excessive entanglement with Mrs. Arroyo through her appointment of his wife to office; and in discussing with litigants regarding cases pending before the Supreme Court. Betrayal of public trust and/or culpable violation of the constitution 4 Blatantly disregarded the principle of separation of powers by issuing a status quo ante order against the House of Representatives in the case concerning the impeachment of then-Ombudsman Merceditas Navarro-Gutierrez. Betrayal of public trust and/or culpable violation of the constitution 5 Wanton arbitrariness and partiality in consistently disregarding the principle of res judicata in the cases involving the 16 newly created cities, and the promotion of Dinagat Island (sic) into a province. Betrayal of public trust 6 Arrogating unto himself, and to a committee he created, the authority and jurisdiction to improperly investigate a justice of the Supreme Court for the purpose of exculpating him. Such authority and jurisdiction is properly reposed by the Constitution in the House of Representatives via impeachment. Betrayal of public trust 7 Partiality in granting a temporary restraining order (TRO) in favor of former president Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and her husband Jose Miguel Arroyo in order to give them an opportunity to escape prosecution and to frustrate the ends of justice, and in distorting the Supreme Court decision on the effectivity of the TRO in view of a clear failure to comply with the conditions of the Supreme Court's own TRO. Betrayal of public trust 8 Failed and refused to account for the Judiciary Development Fund and Special Allowance for the Judiciary collections. Culpable violation of the constitution and/or graft and corruption The Prosecution withdrew Articles 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 on February 29, 2012. The Senate continued to deliberate on Articles 2, 3 and 7.
Impeachment trial The Senate received the articles of impeachment on December 13. Tupas and Reynaldo Umali delivered the articles of impeachment, with Tupas saying that the process was not railroaded.
Employees of the judiciary staged a court holiday on December 13 in support of Corona; this meant many courts were closed. In a speech delivered in front of Supreme Court employees, Corona branded Aquino as building a dictatorship, stated that he will not quit, and that his conviction will result in Aquino controlling all three branches of government. The Executive replied via Executive Secretary Edwin Lacierda that it was not out to control all branches of government but wanted an independent Supreme Court, told Corona to go on a leave on absence, and that the impeachment is "not an attack on the judiciary. This is a case of accountability against Chief Justice Corona."
Legal teams Prosecution The prosecution team includes the members of the House of Representatives, who are all members of the majority bloc, with several private prosecutors. Niel Tupas Jr. is the chief of the prosecution team. Name Party District Article (Primary/secondary)Raul Daza Northern Samar–1st 1st/2ndNiel Tupas Jr. Iloilo–5th None/2ndNeri Colmenares Party-list 7th/1stMarilyn Primicias-Agabas Pangasinan–6th 2nd/5thElpidio Barzaga Dasmariñas 5th/2ndGiorgidi Aggabao Isabela–4th 3rd/8thKaka Bag-ao Party-list 4th/3rdReynaldo Umali Oriental Mindoro–2nd 8th/4thRodolfo Fariñas Ilocos Norte–1st 6th/NoneSherwin Tugna CIBAC Party-list None/3rd, 6th The prosecutors from the House of Representatives enlisted the help of private practitioners to assist them; this was opposed by the defense, saying that only the prosecutors from the House of Representatives are the "sole prosecutors". The Senate allowed the existence of the private prosecutors citing "matter of rule and precedence". The private prosecutors who are allowed to assist the public prosecutors in impeachment proceedings are: Mario Bautista Arthur Lim Demetrio Custodio Jose Benjamin Panganiban Clarence Jandoc Ernesto Viovicente Frederick Vallestero Winston Ginez
The prosecution also named representatives Miro Quimbo, Lorenzo Tañada III and Juan Edgardo Angara as their spokespersons.
Defense Supreme Court spokesperson Jose Midas Marquez described Corona's defense team as a "powerhouse legal team". Serafin R. Cuevas, former Supreme Court associate justice, trustee of New Era University Jacinto Jimenez, professor at the Ateneo Law School Jose Roy III, former dean and president of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila Eduardo de los Angeles, former dean of the Ateneo Law School German Lichauco II, partner of the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo, Ongsiako law firm Dennis Manalo, partner of the Siguion Reyna, Montecillo, Ongsiako law firm Ramon Esguerra, general counsel of the Integrated Bar of the Philippines Tranquil G.S. Salvador III, former dean of the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Pasay Karen Jimeno, formerly of the Quisumbing, Torres, Evangelista firm
Ernesto "Jun" Francisco Jr. quit the defense team for he feared that his previous dealings with Senator Manny Villar will be a reason to question his loyalty to the defense's cause.
Opening day The Senate convened as the impeachment court for the first time on December 14. The senators took their oaths before Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile; Enrile was sworn in by Antonio Trillanes, the youngest senator.
Holiday recess