THE PHILIPPINE STAR

THE PHILIPPINE STAR

6 mews MON DAY

Congtess asked: Gtant

Corona's tetitement benefits
By EDU PUNAY
he believes
Areti red Supreme Court magishate has asked Congress to conect what
#;;il;,#;;;i;th;i;i""1";il"stice nenato c"orona bv lawmakers during the
administration'
'Previous
Arturo Brion specifically cal led on members of the incoming
fSth Congress toiegislate l measure ihat would grant the heirs
of Coroni the retirelment and other benefits deprived him due
to his ouster bv impeachmert in 2012'
Brion, colleigudof the late chief justice during his tenure as
' SC chief, lamen'ied that Corona did not receive any retirement
benefit because of his ouster by members of Congress'
"His familv continues to be denied the retirement benefits ttut
deceased members of the judiciary can leave to their {amilies' Con-
gr".. ,.rnJu tlris situition if ii wants to' not by resurrecting the
"-
tead and buriel impeachment case, but by legislating a financial
grant that is wi thin its authorily to give - funds tor Lhejudrclary.to-
and benefis the late chief
fiay the equivalent of th9 rytteingntpay
iudtice wouid have left behind," he suggested'
"The tate chief iustice mercifully died three years ago' car-
rvine his underserved impeachment taint to the grave This
i; th; injuslice our newty eltscted nationa! officials shall soon
face. Uniess thev act, the iniustice done lo the chief justice shall
forever serve as a towering monument of how the misdeeds ol
the Aquino administratioi triumphed.," Brion stressed'
' The'inaeistrate explained thafthe high court may likewise
move to gr"ant Coroni's heirs with his tetirement benefits'
"The St, on a proper petition file4 can likewise belatedly ad-
dress the iniustice done Ld their former chief tlrrough ar equitable
remedv - the srant of the equivalenl of the retirement pay and
f".teiiis ttt" ctriEf i"stice and his family would have received had he
not been uniustli impeached This grant will of course be fr'rnded
ihrough the'budget ipproved by Congress," he pointed out , ,
Bribn recalleJ thai Corona was "unJorlunately" imPeached
after the Court under his watch ordered the distribution to
farmers of the Hacienda Luisita owned by former president
Benigno Aquino III and also voided his truth commission thai
*u, to inYestigate corruPtion charges against former
"nppo""d
president Gloria Jr4acapagal-Arroyo'
' He also cited the repbr{ed admission by former senator Jing
goy Estrida and retuining senator Ramon Revilla Jr that the
for Corona's ouster
[r6dous administration bibed them to vote offering millions.of
hu ring impeachment trial in the Senate by
Disbuisenient Acceleration Program funds' which the SC later
declared unconstitutional'
Brion said Estrada claimed that Aquino "had used pork barrel
funds to bribe the senators in 2012 in his camPaiSn to impeach
the late chief iustice "
He said R6villa, on the other hand' likewise disclosed that
Aquino "asked him to vote for the impeachment of the late
chief'iustice."
u loA3ne - 6,,