Corona then, Sara now, for a much serious criminal intent`
It was the American essayist Twain who reportedly wrote the famous adage: “History never repeats itself, but it rhymes.”
It is certainly rhyming with regards to the impeachment of Chief Justice Renato Corona in 2012, engineered by President Aquino III in order to save his clan’s Hacienda Luisita, and to the attempts at a similar move by a president as incompetent as him to remove Vice President Sara Duterte. President Marcos, Jr.’s plot though is more criminal than Aquino III, as its aim is to thwart the Filipino nation’s will, to prevent Sara from assuming the presidency in 2028.
Follows is a report April 28 from the news website politico.com.ph. I have received similar reports:
“House Majority Leader Sandro Marcos has reportedly begun conducting an informal headcount ahead of the expected plenary deliberations on the impeachment case against Vice President Sara Duterte, Politiko learned.
An Iskooper within the House of Representatives, who requested anonymity due to the sensitivity of the matter, said Marcos has been allegedly spending the past few days calling congressmen, particularly those believed to support the impeachment complaint.
“Parang nagpaparamdam siya sa mga Congressmen. Parang naghe-head count,” Iskooper said, describing the alleged outreach as the case nears plenary consideration.
The House committee on justice is expected to determine on Wednesday (April 29) whether there is probable cause in the impeachment complaints filed against Duterte. Members of the panel earlier expressed confidence that there is sufficient basis for the case to proceed to a Senate trial.
House leaders are eyeing to elevate the committee report to the plenary between May 4 and 11, 2026. At least 106 votes are required to transmit the case to the Senate.
The same Iskooper said that ahead of the plenary discussions, lawmakers may also be anticipating the release of projects listed under “For Later Release” (FLR), which could partly explain Marcos’ reported outreach efforts.
“Isa rin siguro sa reason kaya nagtatawag si Majo ay yung FLR. Baka ipingako na lalabas na,” the Iskooper added.
These projects are reportedly lodged across several government agencies, including the Department of Agriculture, Department of Education, and Department of Health.
According to the Iskooper, the 2026 national budget earmarked P33 billion for farm-to-market roads under the agriculture department and P85 billion for the Basic Education Facilities Fund managed by the education department.
“Inalis lang sa DPWH ang mga projects na ‘yan dahil sa controversy sa flood control projects pero tuloy pa rin iyan. Ang mga Congressmen pa rin ang may say diyan,” the Iskooper said, expressing belief that the funds would eventually be released.
An additional P51.6 billion has been allocated for the Medical Assistance for Indigent and Financially Incapacitated Patients (MAIFIP) program under the health department, but remains unused, allegedly because it has been reserved for lawmakers’ endorsement.
Before Congress adjourned on March 18, Speaker Faustino Dy III had called out the Department of Budget and Management for delays in implementing government projects, saying these were urgently needed by the public.”
Now read my column fourteen years ago:
“On May 29, 2012 the Senate removed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, the head of the judicial branch of government which is co-equal with the executive and legislative branches, for failure to declare his dollar assets in his Statement of Assets and Liabilities and Net Worth (SALN), which nobody in government really does.
They voted Corona guilty not because of the highest standards they felt the Chief Justice should meet. Rather, it was because of the lowest standards they felt they needed to comply with: It was the wish of President Aquino to remove Corona from that post, and they got rewarded for making his wish come true.
Rather than the evidence against Corona, it was the billions of pesos given the congressmen and senators in pork-barrel funds and money through a new Aquino scheme called the Disbursement Acceleration Plan, it would be disclosed later, that made them vote Corona guilty. The five months during which we were regaled by then Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile with his legal acumen and apparent impartiality was all for show.
Facebook: Rigoberto Tiglao
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The post Corona then, Sara now, for a much serious criminal intent` first appeared on Rigoberto Tiglao.
Corona then, Sara now, for a much serious criminal intent`
Source: Breaking News PH
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