InterAksyon.com
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MANILA, Philippines - Chief Justice Renato Corona finally submitted his unconditional waiver to the impeachment court, allowing authorities to publicly release details of his peso and dollar accounts.
The court, however, through presiding officer Juan Ponce Enrile, merely "noted" the waiver and said that, being merely a "hearer of facts" and not a "producer of evidence," it cannot act on it.
Corona presented his waiver before the impeachment court, adding he will no longer wait for the 189 lawmakers and Senator Franklin Drilon to sign their waivers.
The court welcomed the waiver but said it could no longer summon other witnesses for the hearing, given that the case has already been submitted for decision.
"This court is not a producer of evidence. It is a hearer of facts ... So therefore given the fact that the defense has already indicated they will not anymore propound direct questions on the honorable Chief Justice and will terminate presentation of evidence and the prosecution indicated on record they wil not do anymore cross, it is the understanding of this court that in effect both sides of this adversarial proceeding is actually submitting the evidence, the case for decision," said Senate President Enrile.
Enrile said they will "take note" of the waiver but could no longer subpoena other persons for the hearing. "We take note of this waiver, but we cannot subpoena any other person mentioned here, given the fact that we are not supposed to produce evidence for the defense or the prosecution.
"And so, I hereby state for the record that we take note of the waiver of the CJ but we cannot act on it."
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