A Malacanang official on Tuesday said impeached Chief Justice Renato Corona’s acceptance of a P10-million discount for the purchase of a posh condominium in Taguig City could be in violation of the New Code of Judicial Conduct.
"Nakalagay [doon] na hindi po pwedeng tumanggap ng kahit anong regalo, donasyon, utang, discount, gratuity," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said at a press briefing.
Valte was referring to Section 13 of the Canon 4 (Propriety) of the code which states: "Judges and members of their families shall neither ask for, nor accept, any gift, bequest, loan or favor in relation to anything done or to be done or omitted to be done by him or her in connection with the performance of judicial duties."
Asked if there is sanction on judges or justices who violate the code, Valte said it is up to the SC to determine the sanction.
"The SC is the one that determines the sanction for errant judges who are alleged to have committed violations of the Code of Judicial Conduct. However, SC Justices are subject to impeachment as mandated by the 1987 Constitution," she said.
Valte said the officials in the executive department, the President in particular, are very careful in accepting gifts.
"The president is also not in the habit of accepting (gifts) kasi bawal po talaga e. In fact, the President po tumatanggap ng regalo sa kanyang mga kapamilya kapag birthday niya which is malapit na at pag Pasko, mga small family occasions," she said.
In addition, Valte added the Department of Budget and Management has a policy of not accepting gifts brought to the office.
"In DBM nga po me policy sila na pag me nagdadala ng regalo sa department hindi na tinatanggap ng guard, hindi ho pinapapasok. We are quite strict also about receiving gifts," Valte said.
She said the issue about the discount should be further pressed "dahil maraming nagtataka na 40 percent yung discount."
The President’s spokesperson said it is now up to the defense panel to explain the issue.
"I suppose we will have to wait for the turn of the defense to counter the allegations that were brought up yesterday. Ang sabi ng witness 15 to 20 percent yung normally binibigay, it came from the mouth of the witness so it’s their standard policy to give out 15 to 20 discount on such purchases. If it’s usual, it’s up to them to explain why they gave a higher than the usual discount," she said.
During Monday’s impeachment trial, Megaworld finance director Giovanni Ng said one of the penthouses at Bellagio was sold to Corona and his wife at a bigger discount because of some technical and finishing issues with the unit.
A spokesperson for the defense, lawyer Tranquil Salvador III, said the discount given to Corona was a "regular marketing practice" and not a sole privilege given to the chief magistrate.
"As a matter of regular marketing practice po kaya binigyan ng discount si Chief Justice. Ang usual arrangement nga po [ng discount] ayon na rin sa witness [Ng] ay 15% to 20%," Salvador told reporters after Tuesday's trial. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News
source:gmanetwork.com
