THE pro-impeachment lawmakers making up  the Movement 188 have vowed to expose the alleged sins and immoral relationships of some members of the defense camp of  Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The group headed by Eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone called on the defense lawyers to stop diverting national attention away from testimonies and evidence submitted against Corona before the Senate impeachment court.

Ako Bicol party-list Rep. Rodel Batocabe, a lawyer and member of the group, said the defense panel should stop hurling trumped-up charges against the prosecution panel and its spokespersons.

“‘Wag nila kaming pilitin, ‘wag nilang pilitin na ganito pa ang mangyayari na maglalabasan po kami ng mga akusasyon gaya ng kung sino ang nabuntis nito? Kung sino ang kabit nito? Kung sino … kung tama ba ang binayaran nilang buwis? Na sila ba ay nagbabayad ng buwis? Sila ba ay may mga kaso din?” said Batocabe as he stressed that their prosecutors need to explain the issues publicly because the people do not understand well the defense strategy focused on technicalities and legalities.

“Hindi po ito ang isyu. Ang isyu lamang dito ay ang pinag-uusapan sa impeachment court. Kaya ito po ang pakiusap namin: ‘Wag nilang ibaba ang level na ito kasi po kami po naman ay sanay po sa ganito. Sanay po kami tuwing may eleksiyon, tuwing kami ay humaharap sa mga tao, ay talagang sumasagot po kami sa mga kung anu-anong akusasyon. Ayaw po namin gawin ito sa defense lawyers na para lang po idepensa ang aming mga kasamahan, ay bababa rin po kami sa level nila,” Batocabe added.

Misamis Occidental Loreto “Leo” Ocampos, also a member of Movement 188 and chairman of the House Committee on Constitutional Amendments, challenged the defense team to focus on the allegations hurled against Corona.

“Now, we are being forced into another arena of war, wherein we have to go down into that according to Rep.  Batocabe, na it’s below their dignity naman. So, ang panawagan lang namin, let’s just focus the ball on the basketball court. Let’s not go into the volleyball court or some other court.  We will just confine ourselves to the issues and merits. And then we will explain that to the ordinary Juan de la Cruz,” he said.

The Movement 188 also scored Corona’s defenses team for resorting to “squid tactics” in firing “made-up stink bombs” at the House prosecution panel.

The group believes that “the defense team has apparently seen this early the writing on the wall—the losing legal battle of the Chief Justice to wiggle himself out of crimes contained in the eight Articles of Impeachment—that they want to put the prosecution on the defensive by hurling trumped-up charges against them and to similarly put senator-judges in a straightjacket by moving for the inhibition of certain senators on the trumped-up allegation that they have been lawyering for the prosecution.”

Some of the members of Movement 188 are Reps. Florencio Noel (An Waray party list), Maria Jocelyn Bernos (Abra), Maximo Dalog (Mountain Province), Dakila Carlo Cua (Quirino), Joselito Andrew Mendoza (Bulacan), Carlo Lopez (Manila), Emi Calixto-Rubiano (Pasay City), Roy Loyola (Cavite), Danilo Ramon Fernandez (Laguna), Cesar Sarmiento (Catanduanes), Fernando Gonzalez (Albay), Deogracias Ramos Jr. (Sorsogon), Salvio Fortuno (Camarines Sur), Rene Relampagos (Bohol), Rogelio Espina (Biliran), Alfredo Benitez (Negros Occidental), Isidro Ungab (Davao City), Maria Carmen Zamora-Apsay (Compostela Valley), and  Rosendo Labadlabad (Zamboanga Del Norte).