Mudslinging. Character Assassination. Fake Documents. Unpreparedness. Catchy Lines. Tempers Flaring. This impeachment trial has it all.
First, the prosecution calls for a press conference to state that Corona has 45 properties only to find out there are only 24 properties. During the trial lead prosecutor Neil Tupas Jr. vehemently denied they alleged such “fact” to the media, to the dismay of the reporters covering the impeachment. Strike one against the prosecution. Then during the course of the trial the prosecution wanted to rearrange the order of the articles in their impeachment complaint without due notice to the accused. Strike two.
Next was the alleged copy of the dollar account of Chief Justice Renato Corona from a certain “small lady” as per statement of Rep. Rey Umali. However the CCTV cameras showed the non-existence of “small lady” who supposedly approached Umali and handed him the documents. The documents were not from PS Bank-Katipunan branch. Strike three against the prosecution. Now allegations that the real target of the impeachment trial is Vice President Jejomar Binay have surfaced. According to one columnist once Corona is removed from office, Associate Justice Antonio Carpio will be placed as Chief Justice. Both Carpio and his cousin Ombudsman Conchita Carpio-Morales are members of “The Firm” who handles Mar Roxas’ election protest against Binay. The said protest is filed with the Presidential Election Tribunal spearheaded by no less than CJ Corona being its Chairman.
Then here’s the issue regarding the Supreme Court decision regarding Hacienda Luisita. Aquino’s family owns this large tract of land and has been tied to legal battle for years, even resulting to the bloody Mendiola Massacre where lives of farmers were sacrificed. Allegedly once Corona is out of the picture, the decision on this case will be overturned. Why? Because P10 billion pesos is at stake. Another fact: One of Aquino’s supporters during his presidential campaign was no less than his uncle Business magnate Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.
There are also allegations that Corona has a second family in which he supposedly named his other properties in trust to his alleged “mistress” who until now is just a pigment of the prosecution’s imagination. Whether these are true or not, these observations deserve our scant criticism. Filipinos are not ignorant to just take the allegations of the prosecution at face value. The trial continues, and it pays to be vigilant with the issues being presented before the impeachment court. Let us keep our minds open and criticize every piece of information presented by both sides.
After all, in this new age of social media and internet, Filipinos have more access to the truth so stop peddling lies. We are watching you.
