Lawyers: outlooks vs. CJ not proof

Chief Justice Renato Corona's lawyers stated on Tuesday that the point of view of the citizen is not evidence as they downplayed the outcome of the latest Social Weather Stations survey.

It showed on the SWS survey that most of the people assume that the Chief Justice is guilty of the charges against him on the Senate impeachment court.

Corona's lawyer, Ramon Esguerra said that he cannot equate the survey results with gospel truth as the initiative is simply opinion setting. Only 12 percent supposedly of those surveyed are interested in the trial. That number may even include the die-hard detractors.

Esguerra said, "Opinion is not proof nor evidence. It is fairer to say it is suspicion. If this pro-mob group would take to the streets that is sedition. That is the rule they want, not one of law."

Another lawyer of CJ, Tranquil Salvador III queried the time of the survey that did not cover the presentation of proofs by the defense team to the impeachment court.

Salvador said that he understands that the survey covers the period from March 10 to 13, 2012.
He said, "We started presentation of evidence only on March 12, 2012 so I believe that one day cannot change any perception created by the relentless negative attack on the person of the Chief Justice."

He added, "If you will recall we were able to effectively destroy their theory of ill-gotten wealth only a few days before adjournment on March 22, 2012. We were able to show that there was truly no basis in the prosecution's claim that the CJ owns 45 properties."

The defense team discredited the statement of the House prosecutors that Corona had ill-gotten possessions, which apparently included 45 properties.

It came out that the House prosecutors had wrongfully unconfined the alleged 45 properties to the media previous to the trial early this year.

From 45 properties, Corona's lawyers showed to the impeachment court that their client only had five assets as properly listed in his statements of assets, liabilities and net worth.

Meanwhile, the SWS poll was done from March 10 to 13, it showed that 63 percent of the respondents were certain that Corona has concealed wealth based on inconsistencies in his SALNs, while 12 percent were unconvinced and 24 percent undecided.

The survey results were published in the newspaper Business World on Monday.

The results too exposed that over half of Filipinos or 58 percent believed that the Chief Justice had "intended to help" former President and now Pampanga Rep. Gloria-Macapagal-Arroyo and her husband, Jose Miguel Arroyo to go out of the country. There are 17 percent who disagreed and the 23 percent not yet decided. — ARA