SEN. Miriam Defensor-Santiago on Tuesday not only voted to acquit Chief Justice Renato  Corona, she also gave members of the prosecution a tongue-lashing for their performance.

She also lambasted the prosecutors and her fellow senators for their “hypocritical” allegations, saying that she wanted to scrutinize their statements of assets, liabilities and net worth (SALN).

In her speech explaining her decision to acquit Corona, Santiago questioned the honesty of House members in filing their wealth statements. She also chastised House prosecutors for presenting unauthenticated documents as evidence.

“I was hoping with all my heart that God would strike me dead!” she said.

“Bawat isa ba sa inyo, walang sala sa SALN [Is there anyone of you here who has no blunder in your SALN]?” Santiago told the lawmakers. “That is very widespread. What a hypocritical accusation. That’s [the] problem with this country.”

The senator said that it is “common practice” for politicians to withdraw money from their bank deposits every December, only to deposit it again in January after filing their wealth statements.

She added that others deposit their money under another name to hide it from scrutiny.

“Panginoon, bigyan niyo po ako ng isa pang buhay para imbestigahan ko lahat! Pati sarili ko iimbestigahan ko [Lord, give me another life so I could investigate the wealth statements! I will even investigate on myself]!” Santiago said. “Kung malinis ang mga opisyal natin, bakit palagi tayong nailista as one of the most corrupt countries in the world [If our officials are so clean, then why are we always listed as one of the most corrupt countries in the world]?”

“Ano namang klaseng kagaguhan ‘yan [What kind of foolishness is that]?” the senator asked.

Citing her experience as a regional trial court judge, she told the impeachment court that almost everybody use loopholes in the SALN law to conceal their assets.

Santiago said that Corona used his own name in opening bank accounts.  “He  could have done otherwise if the purpose was invisibility,” she added.

She also scolded prosecutors and fellow senators for saying that the Constitution is in conflict with laws and statutes, stressing that these were passed to execute the Charter’s provisions.

Except for the Bill of Rights and constitutional provisions, the Charter needs implementing laws, according to the feisty senator.

“There is no conflict between the Constitution and the Foreign Currency Act,” Santiago said, explaining that the conflict is between that particular law—which provides absolute confidentiality—and the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards, which provides for a waiver of confidentiality.

She added that she found it “reprehensible” that the Anti-Money Laundering Act document was not authenticated when it was presented in court.

“I am deeply offended that the documents came from anonymous source[s],” she said. “Are you for real? Falsus in uno, falsus in omnibus. False in one thing, false in all things.”

The senator emphasized that an admission is different from a confession.

“The defendant did not make a confession, but merely an admission, with a legal defense,” she said.

According to her, an impeachment trial is a quasi-judicial and quasi-political proceeding that does not allow a personal vote to have bearing in the verdict.

“Omission of good faith in the SALN carries a light penalty, and is even allowed to be corrected. Thus, it is not impeachable,” Santiago explained.

“Would you be very surprised if I say that I vote not guilty?” she said at the end of her speech.