Corona slams Palace, hits disrespect, lack of civility

Presidential spokesman dismisses chief justice’s warning, says it’s a smokescreen for Court’s mistake in recalling its own ‘final’ decision in PAL case.

CHIEF Justice Renato Corona on Thursday accused the Palace of “insidious attempts to undermine [and] destroy the independence of the Judiciary,” which he said had never been subjected to “so much disrespect and lack of civility” even in the Martial Law years.

“Enough is enough!” Corona said in a keynote speech before the convention of the Philippine Judges Association in Makati City.

“I mince no words, and I speak of nothing else but the insidious attempts to undermine, destroy even, the independence of the judiciary through such means as forcing us to beg for the funds guaranteed to us by the Constitution, or the repeated threats of impeachment based on a distorted and power-tripping interpretation of ‘breach of public trust.’”

Corona has clashed with the Palace in recent weeks over its plan to take control of P2 billion of the Judiciary’s budget allocation for unfilled positions, arguing it violates the Judiciary’s fiscal autonomy.

The Palace, in turn, has used its allies in the House to threaten the justices opposing the measure with impeachment.

Reacting to Corona’s speech, the Palace accused him of using the budget dispute as a smokescreen to cover the high court’s mistake of recalling its own “final” decision that favored 1,400 flight attendants who had sued Philippine Airlines for illegal dismissal.

“They brought it upon themselves if there are attacks on their credibility,” presidential spokesman Edwin Lacierda said of the Supreme Court justices.

“I think he [Corona] is trying to sidestep the issue on the [PAL] case,” he said.

“The slash on their budget is not an issue against the Judiciary. It is not an attack against the Judiciary. Chief Justice Corona should not confuse the budget cut as an attack on him or on the Supreme Court.”

Lacierda said Corona should “take it as it is” as the criticisms and even the filing of an impeachment case against the justices were all “part of the democratic space.”

Corona on Wednesday defended the recall of the PAL decision, saying the wrong division had passed judgment on the case.

He took the offensive in his speech Thursday.

“Never before has the entire Judiciary, even in the days of Martial Law, been subjected to so much disrespect and lack of civility from sectors we sincerely consider to be our partners in nation-building,” Corona said.

“Right is right. Wrong is wrong. In the Supreme Court, under my watch, right will always find a sanctuary and wrong will never find refuge.

“Let not those who pervert democracy and the Constitution for their selfish political ends mistake our judicial decorum, wisdom of silence and sense of dignity as signs of weakness, for nothing can be farther from the truth.” –Rey E. Requejo and Joyce Pangco Pañares, Manila Standard Today