Corona voted in favor of GMA in all 19 cases brought before SC

[explorer]

the SC chief justice during Marcos time can now claim that he was better than the current SC chief justice. in his time, the country was under the dictatorhip, so no surprise if his decision was biased for his survival...but what will be the current SC chief justice's excuse?

from: Corona voted in favor of GMA in all 19 cases brought before SC

[SIZE=4]Corona voted in favor of GMA in all 19 cases brought before SC - Drilon[/SIZE]
28-Nov-11, 5:31 PM | Philippine News Agency

MANILA, Philippines – Senator Franklin Drilon on Monday said that Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona consistently voted in favor of former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in all the 19 cases brought against her before the high tribunal.

”The current score is 19-0. He never voted against her,” Drilon pointed out in a statement.

Drilon reiterated his appeal for Corona to inhibit himself from deliberations on the cases involving the former president to avoid doubts on the impartiality and objectivity of the SC.

“I reiterate my call for Corona’s inhibition in cases involving former President Arroyo because the Chief Justice’s consistent voting pattern in all 19 cases involving the Arroyo government’s controversial policies have created doubts in the public’s mind about his impartiality,” Drilon said.

“All his decisions are all for Gloria. His own record shows that he favors Arroyo. Even if Chief Justice Corona’s votes in the 19 cases are based on merit, what is important here is how people perceive him,” Drilon said, noting that Corona’s voluntary inhibition would “go a long way in maintaining the credibility of the Supreme Court, especially in cases involving Arroyo.”

To drive home his point, Drilon cited the 19 cases in which Corona voted in favor of Arroyo that include the SC’s ruling declaring President Benigno S. Aquino III’s order creating the Truth Commission ‘unconstitutional.’

”Corona dissented in the February 15, 2008 SC decision declaring that the wiretapped conversation between then presidential candidate Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and Commission on Elections Commissioner Virgilio Garcellano Jr. was not prohibited from broadcast,” Drilon said.

The senator said he opted to release “Corona’s voting pattern” to media in the name of public transparency and to support his call on the Chief Justice to inhibit himself from court proceedings involving Mrs. Arroyo.

Earlier, Drilon said Corona’s history with Arroyo has created perceptions that the SC was biased in favor of the Pampanga lawmaker. He noted that Corona once served as chief of staff and spokesman of Arroyo when she was vice president.

Drilon also noted that Corona’s appointment as chief justice in May 2010 stirred a lot of controversy since it came so close to the end of Arroyo’s term and many considered him a “midnight appointee.”

[CoDer]

19?!?

Ayos ka Corona.

[chua_riwap]

tanggalan na ng korona yan......

[Altis6453]

Did anyone believe he'd actually vote against his benefactor? The guy had absolutely no judicial experience when he got appointed to the SC. He also voted for the "great fraud upon the Filipino people" when Atty Raul Lambino tried to ram through a Contitutional amendment by way of "People's Initiative" which would have served to remove term limits for elected officials including the President.

More than Lambino, Topacio, Flaminiano and Mendoza, the biggest member of the Arroyo legal defense team goes by the name CORONA.

[CoDer]

Did anyone believe he'd actually vote against his benefactor? The guy had absolutely no judicial experience when he got appointed to the SC. He also voted for the "great fraud upon the Filipino people" when Atty Raul Lambino tried to ram through a Contitutional amendment by way of "People's Initiative" which would have served to remove term limits for elected officials including the President.

More than Lambino, Topacio, Flaminiano and Mendoza, the biggest member of the Arroyo legal defense team goes by the name CORONA.

Pansin mo panay takbo sa SC ng mga abogado ni pandak.

[niwde11]

so whats the "great" senator drilon wants? kung mag-inhibit ba ang CJ titigil na sila ng kakadakdak? i am no fan of the CJ and GMA. but one way or another kasama rin sila dati sa "circle". pag palagay natin nag inhibit si CJ. tapos panalo pa rin ang kampo ni GMA. wats their next move? pa-inhibit din yung lagi kumakampi kay GMA? so para na rin nyang sinabi na "umalis na lahat ng kumakampi kay GMA para mapalitan namin". never ending ang whine ng both sides kasi ganyan ang systema ng govt natin. wala namang gusto magpalit kasi sila sila nakikinabang.

i think mas maganda nga yan para pag nanalo sila GMA e walang magsasabi na di patas. and isa pa isa lang naman boto ni corona.

[Monseratto]

Funny how these politicians choose sides. Before the Garci Tapes, lahat ng kalokohan ni GMA, walang kumontra sila Drilon et al dahil sila din nagbenefit, kasama diyan si Cory and her boy. Only after do they try to "compensate" for their shortcoming by "punishing" pandak and family in public.

[niwde11]

Funny how these politicians choose sides. Before the Garci Tapes, lahat ng kalokohan ni GMA, walang kumontra sila Drilon et al dahil sila din nagbenefit, kasama diyan si Cory and her boy. Only after do they try to "compensate" for their shortcoming by "punishing" pandak and family in public.

i think its not the garci tape. it started on the hacienda luisita masacre/problem.

dapat kasi sa mga politicians kung pumalpak ang kapartido balik na sa public service like J. Laya or Marcos, J. Pardo of Erap, Camacho of GMA etc. para walang bahid ng bitterness.

[Ry_Tower]

More than Lambino, Topacio, Flaminiano and Mendoza, the biggest member of the Arroyo legal defense team goes by the name CORONA.

Excellent point sir Altis6453!

[shadow]

Personally I don't think he should inhibit himself, eh di pag ginawa niya inamin niya na bias siya, he's just but one vote anyway. Sa tagal ni pandak sa pwesto eh lahat naman ng justices meron connection sa kanya, doon sa 19 cases sino ibang justices doon ang consistent din na nag vote against GMA, so dapat sila din mag inhibit dahil impartial din sila...walang maiiwan sa kanila

[niwde11]

Personally I don't think he should inhibit himself, eh di pag ginawa niya inamin niya na bias siya, he's just but one vote anyway. Sa tagal ni pandak sa pwesto eh lahat naman ng justices meron connection sa kanya, doon sa 19 cases sino ibang justices doon ang consistent din na nag vote against GMA, so dapat sila din mag inhibit dahil impartial din sila...walang maiiwan sa kanila

precisely shadow. so what can you say about sen. drilon's idea? logical ba? or 100% me hidden agenda sya.

[erj22]

kaya nga inappoint ni pandak yang mga justices kasi makakasuhan ng marami ang lolang pandak. nagsisimula na...

[CoDer]

O sige na nga wag na syang mag inhibit.

Mag resign sya! Bweset!!!

[niwde11]

kaya nga sabi ko dati PNoy should have listen to ex CJ Reynato Puno when he(Pnoy) offered a job to the ex CJ.
CJ Reynato Puno knows this will all happen coz di naman bobo si GMA et al unlike Erap. di makakakurakot ng ganyan si GMA kung bobo yan at for sure bago gawin ang corruption me mga nakahanda ng countercheck ang mga yan.

[CVT]

Statistics do not lie, Mr. Corona....

(What you have (stacked against you) is against the laws of probability)

14.5K:higop:

[shadow]

precisely shadow. so what can you say about sen. drilon's idea? logical ba? or 100% me hidden agenda sya.

No logical but wala rin hidden agenda more of self publicity

[Altis6453]

Saw an interesting video called a "Teditorial" by Teddy Locsin on "Drilon's Whale of a Problem with Corona".

Just to sum up his points, he basically says:

i. Justices of the Supreme Court are appointed by the President, who in making the appointment makes sure they are sympathetic to him or her, or at least like-minded

ii. Justices nevertheless decide "as they please" or as the law pleases.

iii. Corona was "only" the Chief of Staff of Malacañang prior to his appointment to the SC.

iv. Forcing Corona or other justices so appointed by GMA to inhibit from her cases is unconstitutional as it deprives GMA from "equal protection of the law" --- meaning, no one would be left to decide the case

v. Forcing Corona to inhibit violates the Doctrine of Separation of Powers

I'll agree insofar as the first two points are concerned.

I beg to differ on the third since only Corona is being asked to recuse himself from GMA's pending cases with the SC not only due to prior association, but also due to perceived close personal ties to the former President. Even lower court judges would inhibit themselves if one of the party litigants before them was a former employer IF ONLY TO AVOID SUSPICION OF IMPROPRIETY. This is a very basic exercise of judicial ethics. Something which Corona is not familiar with since his only stint in the judiciary was with the SC.

There are no similar allegations of closeness with respect to the other justices appointed by GMA as they were appointed from within the judiciary. Corona was a political appointee, and a midnight political appointee to the position of CJ, at that.

As to whether or not GMA's right to equal protection is concerned, she has, in fact, enjoyed more protection by invoking the SC, no less rather than seeking redress from the Regional Trial Courts. She has, through her lawyers, successfully forced the High Court to consider matters of fact or evidentiary matters at first instance. Something which the SC does not normally do since the reception of evidence is reserved for the lower courts. She obtained a TRO, despite an explicit request from the government to be heard before the SC considers such issuance.

As to whether Corona's inhibition will violate the separation of powers doctrine, I pretty much think that's a stretch since the Executive and Legislative Branch of government has not arrogated for itself any of the judicial functions of the Court. In fact, the highest member of the SC is being asked to apply the rules of judicial ethics insofar as his consideration of GMAs cases are concerned. Nothing more.

[Monseratto]

I wonder why no one is demanding COMELEC Chair Sixto Brillantes from inhibiting from cases involving pandak too. He was the election lawyer of Kiko Pimentel and FPJ, and was a known "fixer" at the COMELEC before...

[Monseratto]

If we will follow the thinking of Drillon, only 3 PNoy SC justices will have no bias for GMA. Even Justice Carpio will be percieved as being biased since he too is a GMA appointee and was her private lawyer before...

[Altis6453]

^ yup. The guy is a recycled politician. Thing is, when you have 5 min. on TV, a former presidential speechwriter can write and deliver a piece as if he knows what ails this country and how to solve it. Locsin, in his all expertise, will only tell other people who to blame for it.