Corona not resigning

MANILA, Philippines - Chief Justice Renato Corona is not resigning amid persistent attacks on his independence by President Aquino, with the latest delivered during the 1st National Criminal Justice Summit last Monday at the Manila Hotel.

Supreme Court (SC) spokesman and court administrator Midas Marquez yesterday said Corona is determined to finish his term and perform the duty he was sworn to do when he assumed the post in May last year.

“That (resignation) is not something he has mentioned. His term ends in 2018,” Marquez said in an interview.

“Why would he resign? Is it his fault that he passed through the constitutional process? He has been with the court for eight years now. Why would he resign?” Marquez asked.

He also downplayed the President’s renewed challenge on the legality of the appointment of the SC chief by former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

“It is just unfortunate that the Chief Justice was appointed by someone that many do not like. Now they are attacking him. It’s not his fault,” he lamented.

Aquino on Monday hit the credibility of the Supreme Court over some of its “questionable” decisions.

Twelve of the 15 justices of the Supreme Court, including Corona, were appointed by Arroyo.

Marquez maintained that justices and judges believe that Aquino’s tirades against the chief justice were “disturbing.”

“We went there in good faith. It was a criminal justice summit. We expected coordination and cooperation between and among the coordinators in the justice sector. That was really the intention and the goal of that summit. And then here comes this speech directly hitting the SC and the justices,” he said.

This developed as more individuals sought the inhibition of Corona from the cases now pending at the SC that involved Arroyo for poll fraud.

The newly formed Bantay Gloria Network led by former party-list Rep. Risa Hontiveros has recruited several more individuals who filed separate motions seeking the inhibition of Corona.

The group included Yasmin Busran-Lao, Protestant Bishop Augusto Sanchez, Jimmy Regalario of the Kilusan para sa Makabansang Ekonomiya, Brian Daniel Poe Llamanzares, student leader and grandson of the late actor

Fernando Poe Jr.; Gibby Gorres, secretary-general of the Student

Council Alliance of the Philippines; Moses Albiento and Ferozya Simbulan, student leaders of Ateneo de Manila University and University of the Philippines-Manila.

They cited the “very close and professional relationship Corona has with Arroyo” and Corona’s “extraordinary political relationship with Arroyo.”

Hontiveros and three others identified as Juan Carlos Tejano and Leah Navarro of the Black and White Movement, and national broadband network project whistleblower Jun Lozada had filed a similar pleading last week.

When sought for reaction, Marquez reiterated he believes the chief

justice is aware of such calls for inhibition.

“If the justice thinks that he can’t decide the case impartially, he can always inhibit for any reason. But the fact that they’re staying in the case, they have a firm belief that they can handle it

impartially,” Marquez said.

Arroyo’s lawyer Ferdinand Topacio said they tried not to talk to her about the latest presidential tirade against the Supreme Court.

Topacio said the issue was only relayed to her “in passing.”

“We no longer pressed on the issue kasi baka ayaw niya pag-usapan iyon (because she may not want to talk about it). We try not to dwell on these things,” Topacio told reporters.

Topacio also said he did not see any sign of disappointment on Arroyo’s face. With Aie Balagtas See