Lawyers of Chief Justice Renato C. Corona on Wednesday found nothing "damaging" from Justice Secretary Leila de Lima's testimony, which they considered as mere "hearsay."
"Her opinion and her testimony relied heavily on the dissenting opinion... It appears she has no personal knowledge surrounding the allegation," defense spokesperson Tranquil Salvador III said in a press conference after the proceedings.
Salvador was referring to a dissenting opinion of Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno against a Supreme Court resolution to issue a temporary restraining order against government’s watch list order against former President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel.
Sereno's dissenting opinion showed that the chief magistrate tried to approach Associate Justice Presbitero Velasco and asked him not to promulgate the dissenting opinions, according to the Justice chief’s testimony before the Senate impeachment court.
Presiding judge and Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile asked De Lima if she could cite an instance when Corona acted alone in issuing a court ruling.
"No, no... There is no resolution, order or process coming from the Supreme Court which was issued alone by respondent Chief Justice Corona…" De Lima replied.
Lead defense counsel Serafin Cuevas opposed De Lima's testimony, saying she was "amending and criticizing the decision of the honorable court. It has nothing to do with the impeachment complaint..."
"Mahirap mag-draw ng conclusion sa binasa ni De Lima kasi wala naman siya doon noong sinulat ang resolution at ang dissenting opinions,” said lawyer and defense spokesperson Karen Jimeno.
"Mahirap mag-rely sa court records,
kasi ang nangyayari dito ay parang hearsay lang ang sinasabi ni Secretary De Lima," she added.
Defense lawyer Rico Paolo Quicho expounded on the defense team’s position that Corona could not have influenced the outcome of Supreme Court decisions, saying, "Bakit kailangan mo i-single out si chief justice kung lahat bumoto and they voted as a collegial body." "Hindi mo maaring maipakita nagmaneobra... Wala talagang matibay na ebidensya na si CJ ay may ginawang mali," he added.
On De Lima's allegation about a "conspiracy" over the TRO against the Arroyo couple's watch list orders, Jimeno said, "The definition of conspiracy… you have to act together and everyone has agreed to commit a crime. Hindi puwedeng basta-basta sabihing may conspiracy."
On Gloria Arroyo
De Lima said she issued at least three watch list orders last year against Mrs. Arroyo by virtue of DOJ department circular 41, which she noted was a "consolidated" version of department circulars 17 and 18 on issuing wait list and hold departure orders.
Mrs. Arroyo sent the Justice Department three separate letters in September and October last year requesting for an allow departure order so she could travel abroad, the Justice chief told the court.
De Lima said she sought the opinion of Health Secretary Enrique Ona to determine if there was an "extraordinary" necessity to send Mrs. Arroyo abroad for medical treatment.
"Ang kanyang opinyon is that hindi po life-threatening ang kondisyon ng dating Pangulo at walang medical necessity... at puwede daw matugunan dito sa bansa ng ating local doctors," De Lima added.
At this juncture, Cuevas said he was concerned by De Lima's testimony and that the validity of the watch list order was still pending with the Supreme Court.
"I am worried there might be a conflict of findings and conclusions between this court and the Supreme
Court," Cuevas said.
However, Enrile allowed De Lima to go on "stating the facts."
The Justice chief said she "doubted Mrs. Arroyo's real reason for leaving the country," especially after finding out — through an itinerary submitted by the former president's camp to the Justice Department — that the former President was also scheduled to attend conferences in the United States and Geneva, Switzerland which were not related to her medical condition.
The Justice Department also got information that Arroyo was bringing with her at least 14 people, not just "four to five" as indicated by the former President's camp in their letters to the department, De Lima claimed.
"Mayroon pong personal nurse, aide, dati niyang empleyado, utility at mayroon ding passport worker. Nag-isip po ako... kung magpapagamot lang, bakit ganoon kadami," she added. — VS, GMA News
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