A review of the 15 days of trial of CJ Corona

Supreme Court

This is a factual and commentary article about the past 15 days of Chief Justice Corona on impeachment trial. Most Filipinos are not fond of what's happening on the trial and is more or less puzzled about the events. What's more bothering is that some of the common people interviewed for news programs have distorted ideas on the real thing. It is likely disturbing on how some news stations' reporters' commentary creates a one-sided belief on their viewers/listeners. That is why I chose to write this article. I want to clear minds and doubts of every citizen watching the trial and let them have their own views and opinions. Although reasons why people should subscribe themselves to the trial, It should be repeated so no matter what how boring or difficult to understand the trial could be, they'd still have interest in it.

As they say, it all started when President Benigno Simeon Cojuangco- Aquino III (PNoy) decided to remove all the midnight appointees of the ex-President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo (PGMA) including the Chief Justice himself. Let us define the term "Midnight Appointee:" -a Midnight Appointee is someone who has been appointed by someone authorized to do so while he/she is near leaving the position. That is the definition which may get a conflict when it is used for personal interest. They say it is a political tactic. But let me clear it... "they say."

But why was the now Chief Justice Renato Corona appointed? Is he even qualified to get the position? Why did ex-PGMA chose to have him as a midnight appointee? Justice Corona had a sterling record as a student. He graduated with gold medal honors from the Ateneo de Manila grade school in 1962 and high school in 1966. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree, also with honors, from the Ateneo de Manila University in 1970. It was here where he honed his skills in writing and argumentation, the indispensable tools for writing decisions with clarity, persuasion and sagacity. He was the editor-in-chief of The Guidon, the university student newspaper of the Ateneo and was secretary-general of the College Editors Guild of the Philippines from 1968 to 1970. He was also the captain of the overall champion team of the 1970 Annual Debating Tournament of the Ateneo School of Arts and Sciences. Justice Corona finished his Bachelor of Laws at the Ateneo Law School in 1974. Having married right after college, he held a full-time job in the Office of the Executive Secretary in Malacañang Palace while attending night classes in law school. Despite the heavy demands of work and family, however, he was a consistent honor student, graduating no. 5 in his class.

That same year, he placed 25th highest out of 1,965 candidates in the bar examinations. After law school, he pursued the Master of Business Administration course (without thesis) at the Ateneo Professional Schools. In 1981, he was accepted to the Master of Laws program in Harvard Law School where he focused on foreign investment policies and the regulation of corporate and financial institutions. He was conferred the LL.M. degree by Harvard Law School in 1982. As a young lawyer, Justice Corona served as special counsel at the Development Bank of the Philippines. He later became senior vice-president and general counsel of the Commercial Bank of Manila and later, a senior officer of the Tax and Corporate Counseling Group of the Tax Division of Sycip Gorres and Velayo (SGV & Co.). In 1992, he was invited to join the administration of then President Fidel V. Ramos as Assistant Executive Secretary for legal affairs, concurrently head of the Malacañang Legal Office.

In 1994, he was promoted to Deputy Executive Secretary and later Presidential Legal Counsel and member of the Cabinet. While serving in Malacañang during the Ramos Administration, he earned the rare distinction of having solved the perennial backlog of cases in the Legal Office. As head of that critical agency, he not only served as one of the President’s legal advisers but also wrote decisions and recommendations which showed an insightful and exceptional understanding of legal issues, as well as a mastery of the diverse options for resolving them.

(source: http://sc.judiciary.gov.ph/justices/j.corona.php)

No one could possibly doubt a scholastic and working record like that. Now, in the question of the time of his appointment. We all know that courts are resorts whenever a right has been damaged. All courts are under one Supreme court headed by a chief justice. The position Chief Justice is vital for justice to rule in the land. Therefore when the retired Chief Justice Reynato Puno left the position because of the mandatory retirement age, the President should not leave the position vacant. Now, in the past 15 days of trial, all properties of the Chief justice has been wanted to be exposed. The congressmen-prosecutors allege that CJ Corona has been amassing the wealth of the people and that it will reflect on his bank accounts. 15 days had passed.

Hocus Pocus happened. None could prove that the CJ even owned luxury cars like a Porsche, or owned a Hacienda that is 6,435 hectares which exceeds all the Agrarian Reform Acts and still haven't distributed it to the poor farmers working on it. The CJ is not someone who was raised in a poor family. He studied in Ateneo where the current President also graduated from. He even managed to study in Harvard. It is also not impossible for him to gain such wealth because he had different jobs before landing his current position.

We should never depend only on what our own trusted news reporters say. Never be content with what we know. Explore knowledge and create your own opinions.