The chairperson of Bayan Muna-Negros yesterday said Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona should take the witness stand in the ongoing impeachment trial against him.

Alejandro Deoma said it is time for Corona to appear before the Senator-judges and defend himself, instead of “hiding in the shadows of his lawyers”. He said the SC chief justice should answer all the charges against him, once and for all.

He added that there are rumors circulating that Corona may flee to other countries before the impeachment ends so he could escape prosecution, and this is not remote.

Deoma stressed that Corona can leave the country anytime because he is not in the hold departure order list and also is not included in the watch list of the Bureau of Immigration.

Bayan Muna is also calling on President Benigno Aquino III to hasten the resolution of the cases not only against Corona, but also against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.

On Thursday, House Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr., urged Corona to give in to the growing clamor for him to take the witness stand.

"Let us give what everybody is clamoring for, a chance for the chief justice to appear personally and explain himself. The whole country is waiting for the chief justice,” Belmonte said.

The House of Representatives’ prosecution panel had earlier expressed doubt that the embattled chief justice would appear in his own trial, after days of a well-organized media tour aimed at lambasting his critics, rather than responding to the articles of impeachment against him.*APN

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