“We are convinced that the eight articles of impeachment against Chief Justice Renato Corona are strong, particularly articles 4 and 7, and the evidences are forceful.”

They are enough to remove Corona from office, AnakPawis Rep. Rafael Mariano said, at a press conference yesterday at the National Federation of Sugar Workers office in Bacolod City, held in commemoration of the 25th year of the Mendiola Massacre.

Article 4 of the impeachment refer to the “betrayal of public trust and culpable violation of the Constitution when he used a status quo order ante that had suspended the hearings of the House justice committee on the impeachment case against previous Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez.”

Article 7 is on the “temporary restraining order on the travel ban on Arroyo.”

Mariano said discussions on the Corona’s impeachment are still premature and the first few days of the proceedings still tackle the introduction and markings of documentary evidences and presentation of witnesses.

“As the proceedings continue, we can tell that the evidences against him are strong,” Mariano said.

He also made it clear that when they signed the impeachment complaint, together with other progressive partylists, it was to convict Pampanga Rep. Gloria-Macapagal Arroyo and that Corona standing as the Chief Justice, will hinder Arroyo’s conviction.

“Our intention was clear when we signed the complaint and there was no tactical alliance with President Benigno Aquino III and the Akbayan Partylist,” Mariano also said.

On the decision of the Supreme Court promulgated Nov. 22, 2011 in favor of 6,296 original farm worker-beneficiaries to distribute their hacienda, the family of the Cojuancos and Aquinos were not happy with it, he said.

To his knowledge, the Alyansa ng Manggagawang Bukid sa Asyenda Luisita, one of the petitioners for the revocation of SDO, expressed their opposition to the action taken by the Aquino family, through Hacienda Luisita Inc., to inhibit Corona from participating on the deliberation and decision on its motion for reconsideration on the hacienda with the Supreme Court.

Corona was one of the 14 justices who voted for total land distribution for Hacienda Luisita and he was the only justice to declare the stock distribution option as unconstitutional.

But Mariano also warned Corona not to use it as his political shield and defense in facing his impeachment trial, since the main contradiction in this case is between the farm workers and the Aquino family. If there is conflict between him and Aquino, it is between the two of them, he added.

Meanwhile, the other articles of impeachment are Article 1.- Betrayal of public trust due to subservience to Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyp during her presidency from the time of his appointment as Supreme Court justice to his midnight appointment as Chief Justice;

Article 2.- Culpable violation of the Constitution for non-disclosure of the statement of assets, liabilities, and networth; Article 3. Undue closeness to Arroyo as shown by the appointment of the Chief Justice's wife to a seat in the Bases Conversion and Development Authority; Article 5. Voting on the 16 cityhood cases and the creation of the province of Dinagat;

Article 6. - Creation of the ethics committee to look into the plagiarism case against SC Justice Mariano del Castillo, which resulted in clearing del Castillo of any liability, and Article 8.- Refusal to account for Judicial Development Funds, special allowances and other court collections.*LTG

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