MANILA, Philippines - Newly installed Chief Justice Renato Corona is unperturbed by the opposition to his appointment, challenging his critics to first look at his actions before forming their conclusions.   
 
“In the unusual exigencies of present-day circumstances, I am all too keenly aware that so much more than the usual is expected of me,” Corona said in a statement accepting his appointment.   

His initial moves suggest that he is out to prove that he is his own man, and not Arroyo’s ally in the SC. He asked his wife, Cristina, to resign as president of Camp John Hay Management Corp. on June 30. Cristina was also appointed by Arroyo.
 
For members of the judiciary, having a family member who enjoys ties with the president is frowned upon because it raises issues of conflict of interest. In the US Supreme Court, Time magazine reported that the propriety of Justice Clarence Thomas was put into question because his wife works in the Heritage Foundation, a think-tank which can help make or break an appointment from the president.
 
Corona acted on this issue belatedly, however. His wife had been appointed as head of Camp John Hay way back in 2007, when Corona himself was already in the Court (He was appointed in 2002).
 
Cristina’s loyalty to Arroyo showed in 2008 when the former signed a manifesto in support of the president, who was accused of accepting a bribe from the aborted $329-million NBN-ZTE deal. 

Justice Corona was asked then to inhibit himself when the SC took up the case of whether former socioeconomic planning secretary Romulo Neri could invoke executive privilege when subpoenaed by Congress regarding the NBN-ZTE deal.
 
Corona did not inhibit and voted in favor of Neri’s invocation of executive privilege.
 
Against info disclosure
 
Aside from pushing for his wife’s resignation, Corona has also started to become more visible, showing signs that he can keep the court open to the public.
 
He has become more accessible to the media. He started to make the media rounds after he drew flak because the media was not allowed to cover his oath-taking as chief justice Monday. 
 
He has so far granted interviews with radio stations and ABS-CBN television shows, where he reiterated that his capacity to be independent should not be judged prematurely.
 
It remains to be seen, however, if Corona’s openness to the media and to the public will translate to his votes on cases. A look at how he voted in past cases involving press freedom and disclosure of information would show that he favors government secrecy.
 
Corona voted against the disclosure of the technical preparation done by the Commission on Elections for the first nationwide poll automation. Former vice president Teofisto Guingona Jr., Protestant bishop Leo Soriano Jr., Quintin Doromal, Fe Maria Arriola, Isagani Serrano, and Rodolfo Lozada Jr. asked the Court to compel the Commission on Elections to make its preparation public following the malfunctioning of compact flash cards in various precincts days before the elections.
 
“[The] Comelec cannot shirk its constitutional duty to disclose fully to the public complete details of all information relating to its preparations for the May 10, 2010 elections without violating the Constitution and relevant laws,” the Court said. Corona, along with Justices Roberto Abad and Presbitero Velasco, dissented, however.
 
Corona also voted in 2008 that prohibiting the media from playing “Hello, Garci” tapes does not constitute prior restraint. 
 
In the said case, the National Telecommunications Commission and the Department of Justice warned that the media would be sanctioned if they continued to play recorded conversations between President Arroyo and Comelec commissioner Virgilio Garcillano during the canvassing of presidential votes. The conversations touched on securing Arroyo’s votes in Mindanao during the 2004 presidential elections.
 
Another case that covered the issue of prior restraint involved Eliseo Soriano, leader of the religious group Ang Dating Daan. Corona voted with the majority who upheld the decision of the Movie and Television Review Classification Board suspending Soriano for saying profanities on air against the ministers of another religious group Iglesia ni Cristo.
 
Puno and Justice Antonio Carpio dissented, however, and said that Soriano’s suspension equates to a violation of his freedom of expression.
 
Votes count more
 
But the real proof of Corona’s independence would be his votes in cases affecting not only her former boss, Arroyo, but also the incoming president, Aquino.
 
Corona voted in favor of the Arroyo administration in numerous cases. (Read: Justice Corona’s voting record favors Arroyo)
 
Corona, however, held that he voted in favor of the government because he believed that its position was right. Hence, it was a vote for the government, not for Arroyo.
 
It will be worth watching now how Corona will vote under a government in the hands of a new leader. (abs-cbnNews.com/Newsbreak)