The on-the-spot decision of Rep. Niel Tupas Jr. to exclude Supreme Court Justice Ma. Lourdes Sereno as witness in the impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona is deplorable. It does not only highlight Tupas’ lack of competence to effectively articulate the case against Corona. More importantly, it shows that the lead prosecutor of the House of Representatives in the impeachment case is not serious in going after Corona for conspiring with Gloria Arroyo in abusing the people and eluding accountability.
May we remind Tupas that the people overwhelmingly supported the impeachment complaint against Corona because of their disgust with Arroyo and due to their deep desire to make the former president and all her cohorts accountable for their crimes. But by failing to argue that the testimony of Sereno was crucial and had to be pursued to substantiate the allegations contained in Article 7 of the impeachment complaint, Tupas effectively and unduly shut the door on the prospect that Sereno might respond positively to the request of the prosecution for her to testify.
Rep. Neri Colmenares of Bayan Muna has a pending request for Sereno to appear before the impeachment court so that she can expound on her dissenting opinion on the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by the high court. That TRO would have allowed Arroyo and her husband to leave the country before criminal charges could be filed against them.
We warn Tupas and others in the prosecution team that this development not only undermines the chance of convicting Corona. It may also weaken public support for the impeachment case against the Chief Justice.
—FR. JOE DIZON,
spokesperson,
Gloria Panagutin! Movement,
gloriapanagutin@gmail.com