Corona in ICU, can't return to Senate today

MANILA, Philippines -  Doctors from the Medical City on Tuesday said Chief Justice Renato Corona will have to remain under observation at the hospital's intensive care unit for 48 to 72 hours. Owing to this, Corona will be unable to return today to the Senate for his cross examination.

Corona, who has undergone two heart bypass operations in 1995 and 2008, was brought to the Medical City at 8 p.m. Tuesday after his three-hour statement followed by a controversial walk out from the impeachment court.

Supreme Court spokesman Midas Marquez, who went to the hospital with Corona and his family, said in an interview on ABS-CBN News that he stayed with Corona from 8 p.m. to midnight. He said that before he left past midnight, the chief justice assured him that he would return to the Senate for his cross examination.

"I left the hospital past midnight. I was able to briefly talk with the chief justice, and he assured me that he would appear this afternoon. When I got home a few minutes later, I got the unfortunate news that he was transferred to the ICU," Marquez said.

In radio interviews, the lawyers for the defense of Corona said  the magistrate may not be able to immediately return to the Senate for his cross examination because of his medical condition.

"Latest was he has an elevated [troponin T level], a prelude to a heart attack. His condition is now being stablized in the ICU of Medical City,"  Ramon Esguerra told the media on Wednesday morning.

48-hour monitoring

Esguerra later said that the chief justice was already in a stable condition as of 9 a.m. but he would have to remain in the ICU for 24 hours, as advised by the hospital's doctors.

At around 10 a.m., three doctors of the Medical City released a medical bulletin about the cheif justice . They said  Corona possibly suffered from an acute coronary syndrome or a heart attack.

The doctors, including senior vice president for medical services Dr. Eugenio Jose Ramos, said  they had to confine Corona in the ICU because he is a high-risk cardiac patient.

The doctors said Corona, a diabetic, is also suffering from renal failure, but they ruled out another surgery for the chief justice.

The doctors  added that they would not allow Corona to return to the Senate because he should be under strict monitoring.

The Senate has sent its own medical team to the hospital to check on Corona's medical condition.

Lawyer Karen Jimeno said that she would want Corona to return to the Senate and face the impeachment court again on Wednesday afternoon.

Disoriented

Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, sitting as presiding judge in the impeachment court, declared that he will strike out  Corona's testimony if the chief justice fails to return for his cross examination.

Enrile said that Corona's walk out was a sign of disrespect to the Senate as an impeachment court.

In his three-hour statement, Corona denied that he maintained 82 dollar accounts, 31 peso accounts and 45 properties as alleged by the prosecution and Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales.

Before his walk out, he signed a waiver allowing the government and banking institutions to scrutinize and make public all his bank records, including his dollar deposits.

However, he said that his waiver would only become effective if the 188 congressmen who signed his impeachment and Sen. Franklin Drilon would also open their bank accounts for scrutiny.

After signing the waiver and raising the challenge, Corona told the court: "The Chief Justice of the Republic of the Philippines wishes to be excused."

He stood up and left the floor, leaving the confused crowd and senator-judges. Even his lawyers claimed that they were not immediately aware of Corona's reason for leaving the room without being properly discharged.

As soon as Corona has left the session hall, Enrile immediately ordered the Senate security to lock down the compound. Corona was wheeled back to the session hall later.

His lawyers and his son-in-law doctor said Corona left the witness stand because he did no want to throw up and collapse on the session hall's room.

The defense team said  Corona suffered from hypoglycemia.

Marquez said Corona's hypoglycemic episode during the hearing could have been part of the heart attack. He said that they were told at the hospital that disorientation is one of the symptoms of heart attack.

"I noticed that when he stood up [from the witness stand], he did not know where to go. That's what they say, when you suffer a heart attack you get disoriented," he said.

A Senator-Judge said Corona's illness and hospitalization do not excuse his actions at the Senate impeachment court on Tuesday.

In an ANC interview,  Pia Cayetano said no witness or accused should hold the court hostage by his wishes and demands.

"He (Corona) wanted to be the witness and the judge because he didn't wait for the response of the Presiding Officer. He wanted to present his evidence but sinama pa niya pati si Senator-Judge ([Franklin] Drilon," Cayetano said.

Cayetano also said the senator-judges will hold a caucus to discuss Corona's condition.

Marquez, however, said  Corona had no intention of direspecting the Senate. He said the chief justice knows that under the rules of court, refusal to be cross-examined may lead to the striking out of the witness' testimony.

Meanwhile, a lawyer for Corona said he does not think Corona will resign despite poor health.

"In the five- to six-month period I've been with the Chief Justice. He has explained to us [that] for this case, for the judiciary, for this country, he is willing to lay down his life. He told us to proceed a and fight...even against the wishes of his doctors and hisfamily, ilalaban niya ito," Dennis Manalo said in an ANC interview.

Manalo said the defense team hopes that Corona will be well enough to continue his testimony because they would not want the impeachment court to decide on the case under the present circumstances.

"We are at the mercy of 23 senators who can say that 'we don't take that excuse, won't accept that excuse, and not hear the rest of his (Corona's) testimony anymore. We don't want this case to be decided under these circumstances, it would be tragic on our part after working so hard," said Manalo.

Tranquil Salvador,  also a member of the defense team,  said that they may ask the Senate court to "reset the testimony due to his  (Corona's) illness."

Salvador said the rules of court allow the cancellation of a hearing if an indispensable witness is sick. with Christina Mendez and Dennis Carcamo