Popular government itself is regarded by our Constitution and by democratic theory in general as the most effective means of controlling arbitrary power, on the ground that if government can be kept responsive to citizens, and rulers can be forced to be accountable to the people whom they rule, then we will truly have government by consent and control of the governed.

–  Former US ambassador to the UN Jeane Kirkpatrick in her foreword to the book And That’s The Way It Isn’t  by L. Brent Bozell III and Brent H. Baker 


Money is indeed the biggest coward.

More so if the source of such cash is suspect.

What’s the logical conclusion when a person who’s about to be charged with serious crimes makes a mad dash to his bank to promptly yank his accounts?

At the very least, it raises suspicion that he is hiding something.

At the very most, it is clear evidence of wrongdoing, of hiding something very big, for why would someone who is completely innocent be very, very afraid of his bank accounts being opened and scrutinized with a fine-tooth comb?

Day 19 of the impeachment trial elicited the revelation  from no less than PSBank president Prudencio Garcia III that Chief Justice Renato Corona authorized his wife Ma. Cristina to withdraw a total of P36 million in three time deposit accounts from the bank’s branch on Katipunan Avenue, Quezon City.

The P36-million withdrawal quite curiously took place on Dec. 12, 2011 -- the eve of the CJ’s impeachment by 188 members of the House of Representatives for culpable violation of the Constitution, betrayal of public trust, and graft and corruption.

Was there a mole in the House who gave him inside information of what would happen the next day? Maybe he saw signs of what was to come, his instincts telling him that considering what had been taking place weeks before—he had come under fire for the Supreme Court TRO that would have allowed now detained former president Gloria Arroyo to leave for abroad had she not been physically prevented by the Department of Justice from doing so—were a portent of things to come, thus the frantic rush to empty his PSBank time deposits.

In any case, a P36-million withdrawal from a bank branch would have been enough to trigger a bank run in that particular branch, had other depositors gotten wind of it.

But Mrs. Corona apparently was able to withdraw the huge sum in discreet fashion -- through a manager’s check, according to the branch manager, Annabelle Tiongson, in her February 16 testimony.  

But Tiongson added that she was not aware if the MC for P36 million had been encashed or deposited in other accounts. If so, it would have left an electronic paper trail.

By the way, is the couple now keeping the P36 million in a fire-proof vault in their house? If so, in which of the 24 (or is it 45?) properties that they own?

And lest we forget, checks normally have a shelf life of six months, after which they go stale.

What Ped Xing actually wants to say in  closing  -- for now, that is -- is:   The impeachment court should dig deeper into the missing P36 million because this is part of stealthy wealth that has slowly but steadily come to light in the halls of the Senate impeachment court.

The CJ’s defense team, confronted with this bombshell, offered the lame excuse that the money was owned by Basa-Guidote Enterprises, Inc. Yeah, sure.

Pinocchiorona?

That was a low-blow.

The Corona defense team suggesting that senator-judges were made offers allegedly by Malacanang in exchange for an adverse  decision  on the Supreme Court’s temporary restraining order against the opening of Corona’s dollar accounts.

Ped Xing thinks that’s a direct assault on the integrity and independence of the  senator-judges and the Senate impeachment court as an institution.

No wonder the CJ’s lead defense counsel had to make profuse apologies to the senator-judges for the caper made during a news conference the night before the caucus that arrived at a decision on how to treat the SC’s TRO against the dollar accounts.

How wrong they were. The senator-judges voted 13-11 against the opening of the dollar accounts!    

But damage has been done -- and big time.     Doubt has been created in the minds of the people.  

Sen. Alan Cayetano was right.   Can you put the toothpaste back into the tube once squeezed out? How are you now supposed to take back what has already been said? Will you be able to undo the wrong by merely saying "sorry"?

Incidentally, one  infamous “lucky bitch” also said “I’m sorry” to the people and is now under hospital arrest.

The defense team put the Senate in a very bad light.

In line with this question, the nation is looking forward to hear the defense team’s actual utterances.

They best way to determine this is to play the TV footages of the press conference so that public can decide        

True, context is very important.  The tape of the  conference could  provide this context, and, when squared against the defense team’s statement in the impeachment court, we can make an informed judgment on whether the defense should face sanctions.