KUWENTO NI JUAN
It is time to convict Corona
By Mang Juan Pinoy
“How can you prove your innocence when you keep on hiding the truth? You cannot do both.”
Stick with the facts. Stand by the truth.
How can we maintain presumption of innocence when respondent:
1. Misdeclared his assets in his undisclosed and undervalued SALNs;
In relation to the hidden, unexplained wealth not listed in the SALN of the Chief Justice, the proper statement to make is what we have been hearing all the time:
Figures do not lie. It is the liars who figure.
2. Insist on concealing all records of his bank deposits;
Opening the accounts is necessary for Corona to prove that he has nothing to hide. Furthermore, opening the accounts will clear Corona of allegations of corruption.
From the start, he said that his conscience is clear and he is willing to undergo the impeachment. So what’s in there that he is afraid of?
3. Derailed the release of his dollar account transactions;
The trouble with ‘in due time’ is that it has no deadline. It could be anytime between now and forever. It could be next year, or 10 years or 100 years from now.
PSBank confirmed Corona’s five dollar accounts, which are not reported in his SALN.
3. Opposed SC justices to testify as witnesses for the prosecutors;
The Supreme Court has barred justices and court employees from appearing as witnesses at the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.
In a 28-page resolution, issued last February 14, the high court cited privilege communication and confidentiality in its ruling. It likewise noted the need to uphold the separation and co – equal nature of the three branches of government.
4. Petitioned SC to stop the impeachment trial at a time when his questionable acquired wealth are now a matter of public interest;
CHIEF Justice Renato Corona failed anew to secure a temporary restraining order from his colleagues at the Supreme Court in his bid to stop the Senate impeachment court from proceeding with his trial.
5. Now claims P34.7M in his account with PSBank is BGEI’s money. Where did he get the authority to deposit in his personal bank account BGEI’s money? Unless it is stolen money from BGEI?
“If money is the proceed from the BGEI transaction, it is a corporate fund. The payee in that transaction would most certainly be BGEI. If so, how in heaven’s name would it end in a personal account?”
6. Closed three time deposit accounts with PSBank on December 12 last year, the same day House lawmakers filed an impeachment complaint against him in the Senate in a bid ‘to conceal certain amounts’ in his SALN.
Corona sent an authorization closing the three accounts through his wife, Cristina. The amount from the three preterminated accounts was withdrawn in the form of a manager’s check.
7. By his own words viciously attacked PNoy publicly, a shameful act totally unbecoming of the dignity inherent in the high office he holds and refuses to part with.
”To Corona, he does not need to be proven innocent; he believes his word is enough.”
After Day 19, proof beyond unreasonable deceit exists.
There are more than 92 million Filipinos in our country and you will let one person ruin our advocacy to restore transparency and accountability?
Don’t.
It is time to convict Corona.
