Cuevas, ex-student face off

MANILA, Philippines - Serafin Cuevas and his former student Cavite Rep. Elpidio Barzaga Jr. tried to outdo each other in terms of strategy during the fourth day of the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona at the Senate.

Cuevas, a retired Supreme Court justice, was making a point on the compliance with the rules of procedure to allow admission of evidence, particularly in the Article 2 of the impeachment complaint covering the statement of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) of Corona.

“We are made to believe that this is part of the alleged illegally amassed wealth as part of Article 2 of the impeachment,” Cuevas said.

In the middle of the arguments over the issue of SALN and alleged ill-gotten wealth of the Chief Justice, Barzaga pointed out that he had learned rules on remedial law – which is apparently his basis of argumentation – from no less than Cuevas himself.

“I learned that from my remedial law professor who happened to be the defense counsel,” Barzaga said.

A bit later after another round of arguments, Cuevas also hit at Barzaga.

“I have been discussing that in my remedial class, maybe some of my students were absent,” Cuevas said, taking a dig at his former law student.

Cuevas was Barzaga’s professor at the Far Eastern University (FEU), where the Cavite legislator finished his law degree magna cum laude in 1975.