History is ultimate judge - Corona

MANILA, Philippines - Former chief justice Renato Corona has expressed optimism that he will be vindicated following his removal from office through impeachment.

In a speech titled “A Call to Conscience” during a forum at the Santuario de San Antonio in Forbes Park, Makati on Thursday, Corona said he hoped to be “an indispensable catalyst for much needed social and political change.”

The ousted chief magistrate said the verdict of the Senate did not spell the end of everything for him.

“History will be the ultimate judge of all that has transpired. My path may have veered away significantly from where it once was, but the destination is still the same, even clearer now than it was before,” he said.

Corona vowed to pursue what he considered his crusade for judicial independence and transparency and accountability in public office as he reiterated his challenge to government officials to sign waiver on secrecy of their bank accounts.

Corona said his impeachment and removal from office after conviction by the Senate paved the way for “a time of great revolution in the demands, nature and culture of public service.”

“That was what the people wanted from the Chief Justice, and that was what he readily gave: no ifs, no buts, just an unconditional promise to recognize that sovereignty is lodged in the people, who deserve nothing but the highest standards of governance and accountability,” Corona said.

“Never let it be said that amidst this historical call for change and conscience, our public servants have stood aside and refused to undertake the challenge for transparency and accountability. Now, more than ever, I feel the direct stake of the people in our constitutional principles, rights and processes,” he said.

Corona signed a waiver on his dollar accounts while on the witness stand during trial and challenged government officials to do the same. But after his conviction last May 29, many top officials – including President Aquino and his senator allies – ignored Corona’s challenge.

Corona believes his experience had put him “at the cusp of a rebirth of the Filipino nation and its consciousness.”

He stressed that his ouster was just the beginning.

“The verdict is for me to step down from office. It is not for me to give up the fight for the rule of law, judicial independence, and transparency in government service,” he said.

Corona though admitted having felt defeated in his fight to defend the judiciary as an institution from attempt of what he had earlier described as “creeping dictatorship wanting to control all three branches of government.”

“The animalistic ferocity of the accusations and persecution, coupled with the seeming lack of attention and respect given to constitutional and legal rights and procedures, gave it all away,” he lamented.

Still, Corona chose to look at the bright side.

“Though half a year has been spent trying and testing the metes and bounds of what I can endure not just as a Chief Justice and a public figure, but ultimately as a human being: a husband, a father, and a grandfather to a family, I surprise both myself and the people around me as I continue to find reasons to be thankful for having been placed exactly where I am at this very moment: at the cusp of a rebirth of the Filipino nation and its consciousness,” he said.

Corona believes he has fulfilled his duty “to nobly serve the judiciary and the Filipino people through a prolific judicial career within the confines of public office” as he vowed to pursue this even in a private capacity.