“He (Corona) expressed his interest to return to teaching, but no definite university yet. I’m sure the leading universities in the country would be very much willing to get him,” lawyer Jose Roy III said.
“We have no definite plans or statements as of this time. But he did express some interest to maybe going back to teaching and doing other things,” Roy added.
An online profile of the former chief justice showed he had served as a member of the faculty of the Ateneo Law School for 17 years, teaching Commercial Law, Taxation and Corporation Law.
After finishing law at the Ateneo, Corona was accepted to the Master of Laws program of the Harvard Law School. He earned his Doctor of Civil Law degree from the University of Santo Tomas.
Roy, together with other lawyers who defended Corona during his impeachment trial, visited the ousted chief justice yesterday at The Medical City in Pasig City before his discharge from the hospital, where he had been confined since May 22.
“I only expected to see him very briefly but we ended up chatting for a long time. It was a very pleasant chat. And he’s in very good spirits,” Roy said.
Senators voted 20-3 on Tuesday to oust Corona from his post as chief justice after more than four months of a widely publicized impeachment trial.
The impeachment court found him guilty of betraying the public trust by failing to declare fully his wealth in his statements of assets, liabilities, and net worth (SALN).
He was brought to the hospital on the evening of May 22 after complaining of weakness following a botched attempt to leave the Senate premises after delivering his testimony.
Senate President and impeachment court presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile had to order the Senate security force to close all the gates to prevent Corona from leaving.
Minutes later, Corona returned to the court in a wheelchair.
Enrile allowed him to skip cross-examination after he complained of weakness due to a sudden drop in blood sugar.
“He is just winding up. He is comfortable with the knowledge that he has set,” Roy said, referring to his observation of Corona yesterday.
Asked if former president and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo had called Corona during his confinement, Roy said, “I don’t know, but I don’t think so.”
The ousted chief justice was discharged at 5:40 p.m. and hurriedly left the hospital without talking to the media.
“He was declared in good health,” The Medical City corporate communications chief Anne de la Cruz told The STAR over the phone.
“Definitely not in the lobby,” De la Cruz said when asked where Corona had exited.
Roy, meanwhile, said he and the former chief justice would remain in touch with each other but “perhaps on a more personal rather than a professional basis.”
He said that while some of Corona’s visitors were visibly pained by his experience, the former chief justice himself showed no sign of anguish.
“Some people were still very sad when they came to see him. The chief justice is very calm. He is at peace and we are very happy that he is much better now,” Roy said.
Roy said Corona only smiled and shook his head when told that only a few took his challenge to issue waivers on the secrecy of their bank accounts.
“We mentioned that and he’s smiling and shaking his head and I think the chief justice is comfortable with the knowledge that he has set a new standard for transparency and I think the Filipino nation sees that. So for the moment that’s quite an accomplishment. Everybody should be aware of that contribution,” Roy said.
Roy also said he and the former chief magistrate did not discuss the issue on his replacement to the top post in the high tribunal.
“Obviously we did not discuss that particular detail. Actually we’re more concerned and interested in reports that the Supreme Court was considering giving him his benefits plus retirement and I think it’s safe to say we will be very much happy to see him have that and to see him be honored that way,” Roy said.
No special treatment
Meanwhile, one of the senator-judges who convicted Corona said the former chief magistrate should be made to account for other misdeeds – if there are any – despite his having gone through a harrowing impeachment trial.
“While he should not be singled out for criminal prosecution, neither should he be exempted from it,” Sen. Francis Pangilinan said.
Some of Pangilinan’s colleagues, including Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, Sen. Edgardo Angara and Senate President Pro-Tempore Jinggoy Estrada, have appealed to the administration to spare Corona from criminal or civil charges, saying he had suffered enough during his impeachment trial.
With his removal from office, Corona has lost his immunity from criminal charges.
Pangilinan argued that showing compassion to a fallen chief magistrate, while laudable, “should be exercised in consonance with the rule of law.”
“The two (compassion and rule of law) will have to go hand in hand and one cannot be chosen and preferred over the other,” Pangilinan said.
“As in all other cases before our criminal justice system, if the evidence warrants prosecution then it should proceed, otherwise what is to stop everyone else facing possible charges from seeking exemption from criminal prosecution,” he added.
The Office of the Ombudsman is investigating Corona for graft and corruption while the Bureau of Internal Revenue is looking into his records for possible tax evasion charges.
President Aquino himself has rejected calls for leniency for Corona, saying “everyone needs equal treatment.”
The Integrated Bar of the Philippines, for its part, said the guilty verdict on Corona was based on evidence and law.
IBP spokesperson Trixie Angeles told reporters in a news forum in Quezon City that despite its being critical about some issues raised during the impeachment trial, the IBP had never doubted the integrity of the impeachment court, especially its verdict.
But unlike in regular courts where prosecutors gather evidence and build up their cases before filing them in court, the prosecutors in Corona’s impeachment used the “compulsory powers” of the Senate to gather evidence and build up their case.
She also said that since the impeachment court has already terminated its proceedings, questions regarding its jurisdiction or rulings can no longer be raised.
She also said the Supreme Court may still act on a pending petition on the issue of jurisdiction, even if it would mean declaring the petition moot.
Lawyer Allan Paguia, who was also present during the forum, said they would file a motion for the resolution of their petition questioning the Senate jurisdiction over Corona’s case.
He also said Corona should not have accepted the Senate impeachment court’s guilty verdict.
“The Chief Justice filed a petition questioning the jurisdiction of the Senate but he accepted the guilty verdict,” Paguia said. –
