CHIEF Justice Renato Corona’s impeachers continue to ignore admonitions against discussions concerning the head magistrate’s impeachment trial.

Impeachment court presiding officer Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile has not just once cautioned both prosecution and defense panels against talking about matters in connection with Corona’s impeachment, yet yesterday the anti-Corona camp went public with another revelation against the Chief Justice.

A source from the prosecution panel revealed gasoline expenses of almost P8 million listed in the operating cost of the Supreme Court.

The source said P8 million worth of gasoline was allegedly consumed by Corona during his stay in the High Tribunal from 2002 up to 2010.

Except for 2002, Corona did not declare in his SALNs owning any vehicle from 2003 to 2010, the source pointed out.

Aside from the gasoline expenses, Corona bought at least three parking lots in Bellagio condominium in Taguig City on 2009 although he did not own vehicles.

The prosecution panel will ask Corona’s camp to explain the P8 million gasoline allowance and what is the memorandum entitled “Proposed Augmentation of Gasoline Expense Allowance” all about.

The prosecution panel likewise requested the Senate impeachment court to subpoena pertinent documents on the disbursement vouchers on the gasoline allowance of Corona.

Earlier, the prosecution panel requested the impeachment court to subpoena Land Transportation Office chief Virginia Torres for the impeachment trial next week. The prosecutores wanted Torres to confirm whether or not Corona owns motor vehicles.

It was only in 2002, or the first year he was appointed as Associate Justice, when he declared one unspecified motor vehicle worth P1.3 million.

Second envelope

Avoid second envelope.

Movement 188 — lawmakers who signed the impeachment complaint against the Chief Justice — made this appeal to the Senate impeachment court as they urged the senator-judges to allow all the evidence to be presented in the trial.

In a statement, the lawmakers said they will be more vigilant this time so that there will be no repeat of the controversial second envelope during the impeachment trial of former President Joseph Estrada. The controversial envelope was not allowed to be opened.

On the other hand, the lawmakers challenged Corona to show evidence to prove his innocence rather than resorting to technicalities.

“Corona’s hotshot lawyers have been hiding behind the veil of due process and the constitutional right of the accused to be informed of the specific charges against him—via the strict enforcement of court rules on evidence,” the group said. “But Corona should walk and talk and stop his lawyers from resorting to technicalities.

Drilon defended

Members of the Liberal Party defended Senator-judge Franklin Drilon saying that he is just doing his job and not at all helping the House prosecution panel.

The defense panel had sought the disqualification or inhibition of Drilon from the impeachment trial for alleged impartiality.        Quezon City Rep. Winston Castelo said that Drilon, a stalwart of LP, should be lauded for facilitating justice when he pressed Supreme Court clerk of court Enriqueta Vidal to release copies of the Statement of Assets, Liabilities, and Net Worth of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

“We should not penalize Senator Drilon for his efficiency. Instead, we should praise him for his ability to facilitate justice and ferret out the truth,” Castelo said

Drilon was criticized by the anti-impeachment groups for obviously helping the prosecution panel in Corona’s impeachment trial.

Castelo also said that Drilon has the right to ask questions as specified under the rules of the Senate as an impeachment tribunal.

“As officers of the impeachment court, the defense panel, led by former Supreme Court justice Serafin Cuevas, has the commitment to the pursuit of truth and not to engage in its suppression and cover up,” Castelo said.

Text brigade

Malacañang yesterday slammed speculations of alleged  Palace hand in the text messages that reportedly criticized Corona and Supreme Court spokesman Jose Midas Marquez.

”Rest assured we do not operate that way. When we send messages to the media we do so through our personal phone numbers. We do not resort to messages like that from unnamed recipients. If and when we make statements we do it officially,” Valte said.

Valte also twitted the Integrated Bar of the Philippines over a report quoting its officials as saying the prosecution was unable to prove Corona’s ill-gotten wealth.

She said the evidence shown in the trial so far showed Corona had properties not in his SALN.

”One thing I can say, I am a member in good standing. (A)s a member of the IBP also, I will say that the views propounded by the IBP leadership are not mine. I know a lot of IBP members who do not subscribe to views propounded by IBP leaders,” she said.

”Do they come up with it on their own, do they consult their members? Certainly, I have not been consulted,” she added.                                      With Efren Montano