'Running priest' leads run for a cause

MANILA, Philippines - "Running priest" Fr. Robert Reyes led some 50 runners in a 10-kilometer "Valentine Run for a Cause" organized by Ang Tipo Kong Chief Justice Movement to show their support for the ongoing impeachment trial of Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The runners gathered at the corner of Kalaw and Taft Avenues in Manila at 9 am and started the run towards the Supreme Court at past 10 am, and thereafter proceeded to the Senate.

They lighted candles in front of the Supreme Court.

"Ang tipo kong Chief Justice ay hindi nagsisinungaling at iyong walang tinatago, tapat sa mamamayan at sambayanang Pilipino. In this day of love and hearts, we ask 'where is the love? Love for country, for reforms, for transparency and accountability? Where is the love for truth and justice?" Reyes said.

Reyes said the run is in response to the "legal maneuverings" of the Corona camp to stop the impeachment court from opening the Chief Magistrate's alleged dollar accounts, and accusing Malacanan of bribing senator-judges into defying the high tribunal's temporary restraining order(TRO) preventing the opening of the alleged accounts.

The Senate impeachment court voted 13-10 on Monday to honor the TRO.

The TRO was issued last Thursday in favor of Philippine Savings(PS) Bank which petitioned the high tribunal to restrain the Impeachment Court from implementing a subpoena on several foreign currency accounts allegedly belonging to Corona. PS Bank cited Republic Act (RA) No. 6426 (Foreign Currency Deposit Act), which requires absolute confidentiality on foreign currency accounts.

In ruling in favor of the TRO, the high tribunal held that "[u]nder RA No. 6426 there is only a single exception to the secrecy of foreign currency deposits, that is, disclosure is allowed only upon the written permission of the depositor."

Wanted: CJ with 'unblemished reputation'

Reyes was joined by Impeachment Monitor(I-Monitor), a youth network, La Liga Policy Institute, representatives from the Philippine Airlines Employees Association(PALEA), and the Philippine Rural Reconstruction Movement.

For its part, La Liga said what the country deserves is a Chief Justice of high repute.

"Is Chief Justice Corona the best Chief Justice that the Judiciary can offer particularly in light of the evidence of his outright dishonesty?" La Liga Managing Director Roland Cabigas said.

I-Monitor's Terry Ridon, meantime, said the SC TRO was intended to "stop the senator-judges from opening a 'can of worms' about Corona's lavish lifestyle."

Stop public persecution -- Corona

In a statement,however, released through his lawyers on Monday, Corona debunked claims he and his family are living lavish lifestyles.

He said aside from their hard-earned earnings, his family has always lived "simple and frugal lives."

"For the past 40 years, my wife and I lived in a house, which was inherited property, and for that reason never had to pay rent or amortization on our residence. This translated to significant savings over forty years. We have lived simple and frugal lives since we got married over 40 years ago, to the point of thriftiness," Corona said.

He stressed that he does not smoke, drink, nor gamble.

Through his lawyers, Corona assured the Impeachment Court that he will, in due time, open all his deposit accounts.

"In the meantime, I would like to request the public to make any hasty conclusions. This 'expose' that the Prosecution is trying to herald as another 'bombshell' will, in due time, be exposed as another dud like the 45 properties they claimed I owned.

"Since the Prosecution alleged the wrongdoing, the obligation to prove is theirs and theirs alone. Do not extract it from me through means that are foul, coercive and illegal because this can only mean one thing: YOU DID NOT HAVE ANY IOTA OF EVIDENCE AGAINST ME WHEN YOU FILED THE IMPEACHMENT COMPLAINT. 

"Itong impeachment trial na ito ay isang huwad, isang paghihiganti ng sukdulan at kahiya-hiyang tangka na pigilin ang pagbabahagi ng lupain sa Hacienda Luisita," Corona said.

The Supreme Court, after an almost 6-year pendency of the Hacienda Luisita agrarian dispute case, ruled unanimously last year to distribute all of the agricultural lands of the 6,435-hectare sugar estate owned by the family of Pres. Benigno Aquino III. Aquino divested his shares when he was elected President.

In his Opinion, Corona stressed: "The essential thrust of agrarian reform is land-to-the-tiller.  Thus, to satisfy the mandate of the Constitution, any implementation of agrarian reform should always preserve the control over the land in the hands of its tiller or tillers, whether individually or collectively."