President Benigno Aquino 3rd on Friday belied allegations made by Supreme Court (SC) Chief Justice Renato Corona that the tribunal’s ruling on Hacienda Luisita triggered the impeachment move against the country’s top magistrate.
Meanwhile, President Aquino expressed optimism that the prosecutors in the Senate impeachment trial of Corona would be able to show clearly evidence against the Chief Justice.
“Palagay ko nailabas naman nila ang dapat na ilabas, nailagay sa record ang mga dapat na mailagay sa record. At sa palagay ko sa darating na mga araw, talagang maipapakita natin kung gaano kadali ilabas ‘yung katotohanan. So mas magpapakita pa ng gilas ang ating panel [I think that the prosecutors have bared what has to be bared, put on record what has to be put on record. And I think in the days to come, we will be able to show how easy it is to extract the truth. So our prosecutors will show what they are more than capable of doing],” the President told reporters after the ceremonial switch-on of the household electrification program through renewable energy of the Department of Energy.
Hacienda Luisita is a sprawling sugar plantation in Mr. Aquino’s home province of Tarlac, north of Manila, that is owned by the Aquinos and the Cojuangcos.
The President’s mother is late former President Corazon Cojuangco Aquino, a cousin of business tycoon Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco.
The High Court had ruled to distribute hacienda lands to farmers, scrapping its earlier decision allowing the farmers to just own stock certificates.
Mr. Aquino also denied giving instructions to some senator-judges to help the prosecutors on how to question witnesses.
The President described allegations of Corona that the court’s Luisita ruling sparked the impeachment of the Chief Justice as “squid tactics.”
He told Corona to answer instead whether he had been filing his correct statements of assets, liabilities and net worth, not drag the Luisita issue in the impeachment trial of the Chief Justice before the Senate impeachment court.
