JPE wants Corona to testify in trial

MANILA, Philippines – It would be best for Chief Justice Renato Corona to appear before the impeachment court and provide the best defense for his case by testifying on the allegations raised against him, Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile said yesterday.
Enrile said Corona himself would best be able to provide the senator-judges with his side on all the charges hurled against him in Articles 2, 3 and 7 of the Articles of Impeachment filed by the House of Representatives.
“It would be good if Chief Justice Corona would appear (before the court) because in my opinion, that is how we can hear the truth,” Enrile said in Filipino over radio station dzBB.
“This will be good for the case of the Chief Justice, for the process and the nation,” Enrile added.
The prosecution has ended the presentation of its case by announcing that it is withdrawing five of the eight Articles of Impeachment against Corona.
Enrile admitted the prosecutors would have no chance of securing a conviction of Corona based on the five Articles of Impeachment that they withdrew the other day.
He said the withdrawal of the five articles by the prosecution was the right move because they would have a hard time proving their case on those grounds.
“If they use the five as their basis, they won’t be able to remove the respondent. That is the truth,” Enrile said.
Enrile said he always believed the prosecution could have ended their presentation within a month if they were fast.
“But if they pushed for the eight (articles), this cannot be finished in a month,” Enrile said.
“They knew that if they pushed for that, the five they removed, they could not have gotten the vote to remove the respondent, the Chief Justice,” he added.
‘We are ready’
After 25 trial days, the prosecution panel presented its witnesses and proposed evidence on Articles 2, 3 and 7.
Lead prosecutor Iloilo Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. told the impeachment court that the prosecution panel is withdrawing Articles 1, 4, 5, 6 and 8 because they believe they already have enough to secure a conviction of Corona.
Now it is the turn of the defense to present its case and debunk the allegations raised against the Chief Justice.
The defense panel yesterday declared they are ready to present their case to controvert the allegations against Corona.
“We are ready to present our case… but we are still relying on when the prosecution will end their presentation of the evidence. We are ready for eight. If they will drop the five articles, we are also ready. By March 12, we are ready to go,” said defense panel spokesman Rico Paolo Quicho.
Quicho said the defense would take opportunity during the almost one week break to rest their souls and mind, and get ready to present their case.
But as to the call for Corona to testify during trial, defense lawyers said they have not reached a consensus.
Another defense lawyer, Jose Roy III, revealed “there are two different views” on the issue.
“Everybody thinks it might be appealing to the public to have the Chief Justice there because it is an intimate, personal insight into him. And the other side, why should we subject the CJ to that if it is not necessary?” Roy said.
“So these things you know, really I suppose everybody wants to hear it from him. But you know, is it necessary? Do we want to create a pattern when every time a high official is accused, the only expectation is for him to come out and bare his soul? That is not the way things work,” he said.
Enrile explained the defense lawyers would have to present their witnesses and evidence to disprove the allegations of the prosecution, particularly the issue of Corona’s bank deposits and his supposed failure to include these in his statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).
However, if Corona himself testifies for the defense panel, Enrile said the chief magistrate would provide every member of the court with the best explanation possible on the allegations.
“There is no one else who can explain the bank accounts other than the Chief Justice because these are under his name. (He can say) if these are not his or why he did not include these in his SALN,” Enrile said.
He said Corona’s presence would also allow the senator-judges as well as the prosecutors to directly question the Chief Justice and get the answers directly from him.
“This is where we will see the skill of each and every one (of the judges and prosecutors),” Enrile said.
Enrile said the prosecution panel was probably of the belief that they presented enough evidence to convict Corona.
Tupas manifested the prosecution has already enough to secure a conviction of Corona with what they presented for Articles 2, 3 and 7.
Article 2 deals with the allegation that Corona did not disclose to the public his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth as required by the Constitution, and that he did not declare certtain assets in his SALN.
In Article 3, Corona was faulted for the flip- flopping by the Supreme Court on the case of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) against the Philippine Airlines (PAL) management and his excessive entanglement with former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo through the appointment of his wife to a government post.
For Article 7, the House of Representatives alleged Corona showed his partiality to Arroyo when the Supreme Court issued a temporary restraining order on the watchlist order of the Department of Justice against Arroyo to allow the former president to leave the country and escape prosecution.
‘Not a show’
Defense panel spokesperson Karen Jimeno pointed out the Corona trial should not be judged through trial by publicity but through what happened during the trial.
“This is a litigation, not a show. We have to determine if he should take the stand… if his (Corona) testimony will be relevant or not,” Jimeno said.
Quicho also lashed out at the prosecution for always blaming the defense for their mistakes and delaying the trial.
“This is about procedural rights and due process of the accused,” Quicho said.
Tranquil Salvador III, for his part, said the defense wants a clear notice from the prosecution on whether they are dropping the five other charges without prejudice to the respondent.
“This way, we can know whether we have to present evidence for all eight articles or simply focus on three articles,” Salvador said.
Roy, on the other hand, also ruled out the possibility the prosecution might impeach Corona again on the same offenses next year.
“…Twice for the same. My goodness, if you will do that, you’re gonna keep trying to sue him until you get the result that you want. That is ridiculous. This is not the way our system of justice works,” he said.
Asked if double jeopardy applies in the impeachment proceedings, Salvador expressed belief that since the impeachment proceedings are akin to a criminal case, then the respondent should not be charged again with the same offense.
“You cannot be prosecuted twice for the same offense. In my view, if he is acquitted or the case is dismissed, it should not be filed again,” Salvador said.

http://www.philstar.com/Article.aspx?articleId=782522&publicationSubCategoryId=63

Recent opinion survey of frequent travelers heading north towards Subic and Clark Pampanga revealed that the number one most frequently visited wine shop in Pampanga is Clark Wine Center located in Clark Philippines. Reasons given include good selection of fine vintage as well as affordable wines for everyday drinking also. This wine shop also has a beautiful roof deck lawn which serves as a nice venue for outdoor alfresco dining, cocktail parties and small functions and events. There are five large wine cellars that contain some of the world’s finest wines and rare vintages as well as wines that are excellent value that every wine shoppers love to discover. This wine shop in Clark is frequently visited not only by local residents but also tourists arriving in the Philippines looking to pick up a few bottles of good wine that are not normally available in their home town.

Subic is well known for diving, the sea and water sports that come with the territory. However one thing that Subic is not famous for is dining options. For years, visitors to Subic have complained about the quality of the restaurants and dining establishments but it is only until recently that travelers to Subic discovered the best restaurant to wine and dine, even for visitors with families and children. Now most residents of Subic and also Tarlac and Baguio know of this wine shop in Clark as the best place to buy wines in the Philippines and certainly the best wine shop in Pampanga, Angeles City, Clark Philippines.

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Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

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Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

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