The defense panel’s call for Sen. Franklin Drilon’s inhibition from the impeachment trial is unfair to the Filipino people who voted him into office and whose interests he officially represents, no matter his perceived political alliances. That his line of questioning led to the disclosure of Chief Justice Renato Corona’s statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN) by no means establishes his impartiality. Rather, it shows how importantly Drilon, as a senator-judge and as a representative of the people, takes his responsibility to ascertain the truth behind the allegations against the Chief Justice.
If this “impartiality” is a ground for the inhibition of senator-judges, then perhaps the prosecution should also call for the inhibition of Sen. Joker Arroyo, whose line of questioning tried to block the testimony of Kim Henares, the head of the Bureau of Internal Revenue. Arroyo even explicitly stated that the BIR should refrain from conducting a parallel investigation on the income tax returns of the Coronas.
The public is surely interested in finding out how individuals living off on government wages—or with no discernible income whatsoever—can afford to purchase and maintain premium properties. Impeachment or not, these discrepancies merit an investigation, given that the property values are vastly disproportionate to the incomes declared.
—CHARIE SAN ANDRES,
charito.sanandres@gmail.com