Written by : Camille Lopez, Reporter
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Renato Corona should not be prejudged for walking away from his impeachment trial following his exhausting three-hour testimony on Tuesday, according to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Instead of criticizing the chief magistrate for the alleged “walkout,” the Catholic clergy said Corona should be given the benefit of the doubt.
“Only the doctors can say whether or not his [Corona] illness is real. If it is true, if he really got sick at that time, we can’t do anything about it. If it is not, then that would be another controversy” said National Secretariat for Social Action chairman and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo in an interview aired over the Catholic-run Radyo Veritas.
Pabillo said there was credence to Corona’s claims of suffering from symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar that is typical of people who have diabetes. Because of this, Corona was not able to return to the Senate to undergo cross-examination by the House prosecutors.
There were speculations that Tuesday’s “drama” was orchestrated and that Corona’s illness was just an act, but the CBCP official maintained that only competent physicians could say the truth.
For his part, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros urged the Chief Magistrate to face cross-examination to prove that everything he said when he took the witness stand on Tuesday were true.
But Oliveros, like Pabillo, said Corona should be “given compassion” if he is really unfit to stand trial due to his health.
“It must be verified whether CJ’s sugar level went down and suffered from stroke. If he really is suffering from acute medical condition, he should be given compassion. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. But personally, I believe that he should face the cross examination” Bishop Oliveros stressed.
SUPREME Court Chief Justice Renato Corona should not be prejudged for walking away from his impeachment trial following his exhausting three-hour testimony on Tuesday, according to the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
Instead of criticizing the chief magistrate for the alleged “walkout,” the Catholic clergy said Corona should be given the benefit of the doubt.
“Only the doctors can say whether or not his [Corona] illness is real. If it is true, if he really got sick at that time, we can’t do anything about it. If it is not, then that would be another controversy” said National Secretariat for Social Action chairman and Manila Auxiliary Bishop Broderick Pabillo in an interview aired over the Catholic-run Radyo Veritas.
Pabillo said there was credence to Corona’s claims of suffering from symptoms of hypoglycemia or low blood sugar that is typical of people who have diabetes. Because of this, Corona was not able to return to the Senate to undergo cross-examination by the House prosecutors.
There were speculations that Tuesday’s “drama” was orchestrated and that Corona’s illness was just an act, but the CBCP official maintained that only competent physicians could say the truth.
For his part, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros urged the Chief Magistrate to face cross-examination to prove that everything he said when he took the witness stand on Tuesday were true.
But Oliveros, like Pabillo, said Corona should be “given compassion” if he is really unfit to stand trial due to his health.
“It must be verified whether CJ’s sugar level went down and suffered from stroke. If he really is suffering from acute medical condition, he should be given compassion. Let’s give him the benefit of the doubt. But personally, I believe that he should face the cross examination” Bishop Oliveros stressed.
