All noted the earliness of the hour with which yesterday’s session in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona adjourned yesterday pursuant to that day being the 14th day of the month of February. Be that as it may, any submission that henceforth cessation of hostilities to mark the occasion of V-day be observed would have been unanimously deemed a meritorious proposition — easily. And on that note, a day marked by thunderous reprimands delivered by national treasure Senator-Judge Miriam Santiago against indiscretions that could warrant disbarment of the once honourable attorneys of the prosecution and birthday boy Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile continuing a consistently sterling performance in what could be the finest moments of his career as a statesman made way for a night of love in Manila.
Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile taking full responsibility for the Senate impeachment court subpoena that was issued on the back of illegally acquired “evidence” set the bar that now separates the men from the boys of Philippine politics…
I will not pass the buck to the Senate sitting as an impeachment court. It was my decision as the presiding officer and I am personally bound to assume the consequences of my action as a presiding officer.
[…]
Whether or not in the end this court abused its discretion or committed a grave abuse of discretion amounting to lack of or excess of jurisdiction will be decided… by the Supreme Court being the highest court of the land and the final arbiter and interpreter of the Constitution of this country.
Above is such a rare gem of true manhood that tends to elude the typical Filipino male that it moved Angela Stuart Santiago to write…
| SUPPORT INDEPENDENT SOCIAL COMMENTARY! Subscribe to our Substack community GRP Insider to receive by email our in-depth free weekly newsletter. Opt into a paid subscription and you'll get premium insider briefs and insights from us. Subscribe to our Substack newsletter, GRP Insider! Learn more |
…let not the past render us blind to something great that he is doing today, something no one, but no one, else has the smarts for.
[…]
better late than never. what matters is, enrile is where he is now, and we are all the better for it.
Quite unfortunate that the rising to stardom of some needs to be accompanied by the sorry shrinkage of others. Once Noted Blogger (now mere Malacañang hack) Manuel L Quezon III (MLQ3) laments in the face of the inescapable reality of astounding fraud seemingly being perpetrated by the prosecution…
Whatever happens, the defense can now pursue the strategy of making jabs at the prosecution, on senators it considers dangerous, and then waging a second campaign on the same points, this time in the Supreme Court. Emboldened by the Senate’s decision on the TRO, it has filed more petitions before the Supreme Court.
…as if that is necessarily a bad thing. What MLQ3 failed to highlight is the obvious reality that much of the weak points that the defense team now attacks were opened up by prosecution team’s own ineptness and their reckless pursuit of public backing for their noble cause. In any case, how can one continue to rely on MLQ3 for “insight” on stuff to do with the impeachment trial when one is constantly reminded that he is, in fact, currently a senior officer of Malacañang and, as such, most certainly under its fat payroll. This is the same Malacañang that now stubbornly (and bizarrely) continues to insist that the bank documents used by the Senate impeachment court to summon Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) and the Bank of the Philippine Islands (BPI) to open Corona’s alleged accounts to scrutiny are not fake…
Malacañang assuaged fears yesterday that the leaked bank documents on the multimillion-peso accounts of Chief Justice Renato Corona were spurious, noting that bank officials have in fact confirmed the accounts.
Presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda pointed out that the account numbers were found to be “accurate,†as were the ending balances, as testified to before the impeachment court by Philippine Savings Bank (PSBank) president Pascual Garcia III.
“They do exist… those account numbers. And I think that has been proven right by the PSBank president. What’s very important here is that the account numbers were accurate,†Lacierda told reporters.
…Lacierda even implied that this was all part of some sort of defense “strategy”…
Lacierda also made an effort to shield the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) from being dragged into the impeachment trial, following Tiongson’s testimony that the leaked bank records did not come from them.
“That’s what she claims but we haven’t called on the BSP so she (Tiongson) is trying to pass the blame on to BSP. I don’t know if that’s a strategy,†he stressed.
And so journalist Ellen Tordesilla asks “Why is Malacañang vouching for authenticity of ‘fake’ bank document? 
Must Lacierda vouch for the prosecution’s documents? Why can’t he let the prosecution do their job in the impeachment court?
We understand Malacañang’s desire to have Corona removed as part of their crusade to institute reform in the judiciary. Although we do not believe the defense panel’s tale of P100 million per senator to oppose the High Court’s temporary restraining order on Corona’s dollar accounts, we know that the prosecution team, composed of members of the House of representatives, is getting a lot of help from Malacañang. But can’t they do it more discreetly?
Malacañang’s indiscretion is not doing the prosecution a favor.
Lacierda’s statement makes one wonder, was the fake document Malacanang’s handiwork?
Indeed, Philippine President Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III dropped all pretenses of a Malacañang he once asserted is stepping back to allow due process to work things through in this case long ago when he challenged Corona to voluntarily reveal information about his alleged foreign currency accounts with PSBank and BPI. And now this. It is likely that we will be seeing in the coming weeks more micro-managing of the prosecution coming directly from the Palace as its delegated lieutenants fall from grace one-by-one.
[Photo of Miriam Santiago courtesy Philippine News Network.]
benign0 is the Webmaster of GetRealPhilippines.com.
The idea of N/A micro-managing anything makes me laugh, especially on Valentine’s Day when he surely has at least one date followed by a drive in his Porsche then an intensive PSP session.
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/nation/02/13/12/pnoy-peso-accounts-enough-convict-corona
lagot ka corona, hnd nagreflect ang SALN mo sa bnk account mo. Corruption ang problema ng korte suprema. Tama si Tito Noy
Said the biased yellow media. Epic fail vincensus ignoramus.
Getting desperate huh vincenzo you idiot.
Face it vincenzo, the prosecution is DEAD
GAME OVER SCREEN FOR THE PROSECUTION:
You’re Dead.
Your Friends Are Dead.
Your (censored) Boss is being skinned alive.
You all Suck At Life.
The Whole Country Hates You.
You’re all Going To Hell.
Live With It.
GAME OVER
That is from a BIASED source. So you fail again. 😛
@Nutzi Vincenzo
Does your tito not have corruption issues in his SALN? What about the issues of scams and KKKK misadventures? You are a funny critter.
@ mr. vincenzo
perhaps your brain is automatically shut-off when it comes to the rights of the CJ because you are very quick to agree with your tito… your tito noy speaks up on the extent of his comprehension of his own law interpretation and not the law of the philippine republic on which the supreme court is the sole body, lawfully designated to do so.
i respect your tito noy as the symbolic head of state but i am sorry to vouch for his reasoning in incriminating the CJ. the defense council has not yet even started to present their evidences and witnesses to answer the charges but even so, the prosecution panel has already showed the signs of weaknesses and apparently they are in the state of destruction at this point in time, how much more when the defense start their supersonic engine in dropping the bombs on the evidences presented by the prosecution?
in the matter of presenting the witnesses and evidences by the prosecution, they are not consistent with the statements of their witnesses and also the spurious data the fished out…and also it is also unlawfully produced..you see, they are also inconsistent in giving their statements..i tell you, if you speak for the truth, there is only one version and very soon you will see how the defense council will present it.
now, if that is the way how you understand things, it’s up to you! i understand your shallow mind. magkamag-anak nga kayo ni tito noy mo 🙂
Vincenzo, your prosecution is like
wile e coyote, he always FAILS
Meep! Meep! LoL!
Here’s a much more better comparison of Wile E Coyote to vincensus ignoramus since he’s being a “genius” desperado.
That’s two of the best presidents we never had there – Miriam and JPE. On hindsight, what could have happened to our country if Miriam was not cheated in ’92 and JPE became the head of a revolutionary government in ’86, instead of handing over the power to B.S. Aquino’s mother?
“two of the best presidents we never had”, that was almost the title of this piece. 🙂
The content conveyed what the title didn’t say. I love the “national treasure” thing, and how you described JPE’s actions as a statesman. Great piece, benigzero. :okay:
I find it funny, in retrospect, how we were conditioned, ok fine brainwashed, in the 90’s to think that Miriam was downright psychologically unfit. About Enrile, there are people who still associate him with the dagdag-bawas scheme with Obet Pagdanganan.
It’s ironic that Rome had to start to burn before the true statesmen and the real competents could rise to the occasion.
Miriam’s got a serious case of the Mad Minute…
I can imagine the prosecution now, scared shitless with the Mad Miriam telling them to RTFM again and again…
The best? There were better ones.
What I like about the ongoing impeachment trial is that it brought out the kind of statesmen the Philippines need.
Sadly the common tao never sees these come election day and end up voting for garbage and fecal matter like Revilla, Sotto and Lapid.
Oh… and I forgot to add.. Aquino (re fecal matter)
‘fecal matter’ is a bit of an understatement dude
This is cerebral politics happening on national television — a far cry from the politics-of-the-bobo of election campaigns and street parliamentarism (you know, the sort of stuff that Noynoy and his Yellowist followers excel in).
*cerebral politics* LIKE!
Salamat na lang at may JPE at Miriam pa tayo sa Senado. Nakakainit na ng ulo si Lacierda, haynakunaku.
More on the Fake Documents…
http://www.tribuneonline.org/headlines/20120215hed1.html
Looks like the critter vincenzo is speechless yet again.
What’s the matter vincenzo?
Yellow chicken got your tongue?
He must be inhaling passive cigarette smoke again. LoL!
Attack dogs need to rest too.
@FallenAngel
This particular “attack dog” needs to be put to sleep PERMANENTLY
Distractions aside… We must always remember the earlier victims of the dictator’s mad quest for power. The supersonic railroading of the electoral sabotage case against Congresswoman Gloria Macapagal- Arroyo. Deprived of due process and the rule of law. Detained without bail and with her rights continuously being violated. No cellphone, no laptop. The so-called trial not even moving forward. She is entitled to a speedy trial and/or remedies. Her family was also hard hit by black propaganda and trial by publicity. First Gentleman Arroyo and Mr. Abalos also the victims of Mr. Aquino’s dictatorship reform program. This devious misnomer appears as a reform program. It is not a reform program to cleanse the government leading to the straight and wide path of perdition. It is a convenient political tactical diversion intended to reduce the lower house to mere servants of the Executive Branch. The Senate is also a target. An attempt was revealed in the free press to buy the souls of certain senators of the Republic. The object is to consolidate his dictatorship with the Supreme Court next… as the final solution to absolute dictatorial rule. With his full control of the three branches of government a tyranny is created. The trail leads to Hacienda Luisita and beyond to Hacienda Filipinas. We are not slaves… we are a free race of men, women and children!
the prosecution are not only unethical, they cant even lie without tripping themselves up.
what an advert for the country!
The continuing drama:
Now, a very agitated Lady Miriam Santiago shouts at the prosecution knights:
“Go get Real Evidence or you go to Jail! Better yet, go back to Law School!!!”
And the feisty Senator goes home because of elevated blood pressure. Tsk tsk. if Senator Santiago gets a heart attack, it will be because of the missing ‘small lady.’
Lady Miriam versus White Lady. 🙂
Or maybe that’s their goal: Kill her via heart attack from telling them to RTFM again and again.
After 18 days, I have to say that I now find the Corona impeachment trial as old and cumbersome. Considering that the impeachment is one that is continuing, still I feel tired watching.
I’m all 100% for seeking the truth, but all actors in the courtroom, senator-judges included, should stop their pa-epal.
I find it silly but it seems that the private prosecutors and defense lawyers, are out to to make ‘pa-pogi’ in order to expand their law practices, i.e. to enjoy their more than 15 minutes of fame on national TV. They just love to hear themselves talking!
One practical solution: stop the live media coverage.
Tignan natin kung hindi lumitaw si ‘small lady.’
The sleeping dictator and why he has to be impeached…
http://www.tribuneonline.org/commentary/20111213com2.html
The Triumph of the Constitution…
http://www.malaya.com.ph/02162012/edmata.html
My favorite part of the second link:
“How can they call themselves crusaders for justice and truth when the moral demands they impose on others do not apply to them? They seem to belong to a higher realm that exempts them from the scrutiny of their own conscience…
Try telling Aquino the bit that says “the Constitution is supreme over the three branches of government”, and this is sure to raise his blood pressure or make his hair fall even faster.
the more Lacierda talks the more he looks brain dead, it only proves how difficult it is for the prosecution to put their evidence against corona, even palace officials is showing desperation siding with prosecution, isama pa nila si porky pig ng senado… we are thankful however that we have the likes of Sen. Enrile – for taking full responsibility as presiding judge in handling the impeachment par excellent, and Sen. Santiago – for showing superb knowledge of the law, kudos to Manong johnny and Judge Miriam pagaling ka na, namiss ka namin sa hearing….
You buy Congressmen, and corrupt Congress, to institute reform? It’s the decision of Corona on the Hacienda Luisita of Noynoy Aquino, that is the root cause of this impeachment.
Any document that is not obtained in proper procedure of any Court is not authentic…If you come to my house and steal evidences against me, without search warrant…then, the evidences obtained are not legal. Because, you broke into my house without my consent, in the first place…
How would the Aquino-Cojuangco families feel. If I go and break into their Hacienda Luisita offices. Steal some documents about their ownership on the land; and use them as evidences…
This impeachment taught us many lessons. It awakened people. That they have responsibilities to
watch their government; and those people who govern them. It also showed the President is not as strong as he is presumed to be. The Judiciary asserted its power. The Senate asserted also its power. The balance of power, that we had lost… is coming back. It is a prevention, of any future dictatorship.