Transcript of the impeachment trial

Sen. Francis G. Escudero (FGE): ... In so far as the justice of the Supreme Court is concerned, pakipaliwanag po sa amin kung bakit nyo nasabi yon.

Araceli Bayuga: Sa inyong katanungan, your honor, what we have...

FGE: When we asked the Commissioner kung nagreremit ba, nagbabayad ban g buwis, pinakita lamang yung alpha list for certain years pero may mga taon na wala daw po silang record. Wala daw po sialng alpha list, sinasubmit nyo b aito taon-taon sa BIR?

Bayuga: Yes, your honor.

FGE: Received by the BIR?

Bayuga: Duly received by the bIR.

FGE: Saan pong tanggapan ng BIR kung maari pong malaman? Dahil hindi ko Makita ang dahilan kung bakit hindi alam ng commissioner yan, sasabihin po sa amin yon.

Bayuga: RDO No. 33.

FGE: RDO No. which is located in Manila, I presume.

Bayuga: Intramuros.

FGE: Intramuros, Manila.

JPE: Revenue District Office, No. 33.

FGE: At nereremit din po ninyo sa pamamagitan ng pagbayad sa bangko yung winiwithhold ninyo, nakita kop o yung record nyo, roughly P34 million total for the past eight years.

Bayuga: Through TRA.

FGE: Ano po yung TRA, ma'm?

Bayuga: Tax Remittance advice po.

FGE: So may pruweba po kayo na bayad yung withholding taxes na dapat due sa gobyerno sa mga natatanggap na suweldo at taxable income ng mga mahistrado ng Korte suprema.

Bayuga: Yes, your honor.

FGE: Can you kindly, it was requested earlier, can you furnish us with the complete set dahil kulang po yata yung naibigay yung alpha list sa amin, 2002 to 2005 po lamang, pakibigay po sa amin kung maari yung balanse para lang...

Bayuga: Up to 2010, your honor?

FGE: Kung ano po yung available, may 2011 na po ba wala pa?

Bayuga: Wala pa po, your honor.

FGE: Up to 2010 po ma'm, please.

Cuevas: With due respect, your honor, kindly be allowed to say a couple of words with connection with this, your honor, I recall your honor, when the honorable commissioner of the Internal Revenue, Commissioner Henares took the stand as the witness for the prosecution, your honor, there was exhibit 5C-7, your honor, in a hearing of February 6, 2012 and this covers the taxable years 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010.

FGE: Ah yung previous years yung wala nila.

Cuevas: meaning 2002 to 2005.

FGE: yon po yung wala yung BIR daw.

Cuevas: Correct.

FGE: Tama po, so kumpleto nap o yon sa records ng impeachment court sa ngayon, from 2002 to 2010. 2006 to 2010 galing sa BIR.

Cuevas: Opo.

FGE: 2002- 2005 galing sa..

Cuevas: Sa defense, opo.

FGE: Kaya po yon ang lohika kung bakit, 2002 to 2005 lamang ang prinesenta nyong alpha list.

Cuevas: an gamin pong purpose was just to show that there was compliance in connection with the requirements of filing of all these things as we ... by these various statements 2002 year-end report on compensation for the year 2002, 2003, 2004 and 2005, your honor.

FGE: Thank you, your honor, can we get the concurrence of the secretariat Mr. President, even at a later time if we indeed we have a complete record of the alpha list already and the payments made by the Supreme Court in so far as salaries and emoluments that are taxable by justices, even at a later time, para lamang malaman natin na kumpleto yung record natin from 2002 to 2010. Ma'm nandyan po ba?

FGE: Thank you, I would like to thank the secretary, may I address some questions just to place everything in proper perspective, may I get confirmation from the prosecution, I asked this before ang napatunayan ninyo na diumano na ari-arian sa panig nyo ni Chief Justice Corona ay 24.

Prosecution: The number of real properties.

FGE: 24 kabilang na yung anim na parking lots, tama po ba?

Prosecution: Tama po as far as I know.

FGE: At kabilang sa ebidensiyang prinisenta ninyo, yung HHH eh deed of sale tungkol sa isang ari-arian Sa Quezon City na binenta na, ayon din sa inyo, so ang cliam lang ninyo nang prinesenta nyo yung testigo eh yung kinita daw don ay wala sa kanayng SALN. So do I take na 24 yung kini-claim nyong ari-arian ni Chief Justice na dapat dineklara niya sa kanyang SALN kasama ulitin ko, yung naim na parking lots. Would that be accurate?

Prosecution: Your hnor, I'm sorry I'm not in the position at this time to make that's statement.

FGE: Can I ask someone who is in the position to answer, Mr. President, because it cannot be more or less, it should be either 21, 22, 23, 24, so that we as senator-judges would know ano ba yung dinidispprove ngayon ng depensa, ano ba yung napatunayan ng prosekusyon kaugnay sa kanialng alegasyon na hindi nilalaman ng SALN ni Chief Justice.

JPE: Is the prosecution in the position to answer the question of the distinguished senator from Sorsogon?

Prosecution: Your honor, may we have like a five-minute recess so we can check our records ad give the exact data.

JPE: Alright.

FGE: Tamang-tama yung recess, sige.

Sotto: Mr. President, because of the lateness of the hour may we move to suspend for 15 minutes instead.

JPE: Trial is suspended for 15 minutes to check the records of the prosecution.

Continuation...

FGE: Mr. President, if I may, bago po sumagot ang kalagalang-galang na chief prosecutor, timatanong ko po ito para malagay sa tamang perspektiba ang mga nagaganap sa harap natin ngayon, 24 na ari-arian diumano noon ang nasabi sa akin ewan ko ngayon kung ilan ang pag-aari ni Chief Justice Corona subalit lima lamang ang nasa SALN at ang sinusubukang patunayan ng depensa eh hindi kanya yon so nagka-count down ho kasi kami dito, mga senator-judges, pwede ho bang malaman ilan ba ang napatunayan nyo, tingin nyo napatunayan ninyo?

Tupas: Ginoong Pangulo doon sa, base doon sa offer of evidence na sinubmit naming at in-admit ng impeachment tribunal merong, real estate lang po, real properties merong 21 titles, covering 21 properties, nasabi ko lang na 24 dati kasi yung 24 na yon, yung tatlo doon ay parking lots na wala naming title, so nagging 21 na lang ngayon at 21 including three parking lots don sa Bellagio.

FGE: 21 kasama na ho doon yung three parking lots?

Tupas: tama po.

JPE: Yon bang mga parking lots ay kasama sa titulo ng condo?

Tupas: Hiwalay po yon, Ginoong Pangulo. At sa 21 titles na to meron ditong tatlong titulo ng tatlong parking lots.

FGE: Tatlong tituladong parking lots?

Tupas: Tama po.

FGE: so 24 nong una dahil nasama nyo yung tatlong parking lots na waalng titulo kasama non yung titulo ng unit?

Tupas: Tama yon.

JPE: Pero yugn asset din yon eh, yung parking lot asset din yon dahil may value yon.

Tupas: Tama po.

FGE: Gaya nang nasabi ko Ginoong Pangulo sinusubukan po naming magcount down kung tutugma yung prinepresentang ebidensiya ng magkabilang panig, so 21 kung tatanggalin ko ho yung parking lot 18, kasam po ba dito yung Exhibit HHH ninyo na nagpresenta kayo ng ebidensiyang binenta na po ito?

Tupas: Tinitingnan ko, tsini-check lang po kung ano yung HHH... kasama na po yon.

JPE: Sandali lang, ang dating 24, di ba, tinanggal nyo yung tatlo dahil parking lot yon.

Tupas: Dahil wala pong titulo yung tatlo.

JPE: Walang titulo, so 21.

Tupas: Tama po Ginoong Pangulo.

JPE: May mga titulo yan?

Tupas: Tama po.

JPE: Pero yung tatlong walang titulo kanino yon? FGE: If I may answer, Mr. President, kasama na ho yon nong condominium certificate of title kung saan nakadikit yung mga parking lot na yon kung hindi ako nagkakamali.

Tupas: Tama po yon.

JPE: Okay, so yon eh one asset yon involved in one title.

Tupas: Yes sir.

FGE: Now may I ask sa 21 nabanggit nyo 21 don parking lot kasama na ba don yung lupa sa Pansol sa Quezon City, na ayon sa Exhibit HHH ninyo which is an absolute deed of sale eh binenta na? O nilabas nyo na yon sa 21?

Tupas: Kasama pa po yon sa 21 properties.

FGE: But in your own exhibit HHH deed of absolute sale binenta na to?

Tupas: Nabenta na po ito noong, pinapa-check ko lang po pero ang pagkakaalam kop o dito.

FGE: ANg date received po sa Register of Deeds ay April 13, 2010.

Tupas: Correct, 2010, pero sinama naming yon kasi may mga dates na year-end na dapat kasali pa yon sa SALN ng respondent Chief Justice, hindi niya sinali, so kasama sa 21.

FGE: Kasama rin po sa 21 yung pito na diumano na pinatunayan ni Ginoong Vicente na siya na raw yung may-ari?

Tupas: Kasama po, tama.

FGE: Kasama din po ba doon sa 21 yung pag-aari ni Miriam Roco na binili daw niya, in-alleged din ba yon na kasama sa 21?

Tupas: Hindi po.

FGE: And kung mag a-arithmetic po ako ng kaunti para masubaybayan ko at ma-appreciate ko rin yung ginagawa ng depensa, 21, tatlong parking lot, so kung aalisin ko yon, 18, ina-account ko lang, 18.. Pito so labing-isa, lima ang kini-claim ni chief justice na kanya, so ang so far ang wala pang tangka na ipaliwanag, hindi ko sinasabing tatanggapin naming o paniniwalaan ay anim.

Tupas: Hindi po kasi, kasi...

FGE: Yung lima inaamin naman nya eh.

Tupas: Yung hindi inaamin, oo.

FGE: Yung hindi nya inaamin na laman ay anim.

Tupas: Yung wala pang tangka pa po pagpapaliwanag.

FGE: Yung wala pang tangkang ipaliwanag. So yon yung hinihintay nating gawin kung saka-sakali ng depensa.

Tupas: Tama po yan Ginoong Pangulo.

FGE: Sa pera naman, sa bank accounts para naman makita naming kung saan papunta ang lahat na ito. Base sa inyong teyorya magkano ba yung cash on hand ni Chief Justice kumpara sa deneklara sa kaniyang SALN? Nalito kasi kami ng kaunti don sa mga bank accounts dahil may i-open, may ki-close, nag isang pahayagan tinotal po lahat ng amounts na lumabas, eh hindi naman ho dapat itototal yon dahil may nilabas, may ipinasok, sa inyong teyorya po magkano po ba ang cash on hand dapat niayng deneklara? Para makita rin po naming kung pumapantay ba yung ebidensiyang tinatangka ipresenta ng depensa doon sa nais nilang ipaliwanag na diperensiya.

Tupas: During the break ang na-compute po naming based don sa offer of evidence yung real property lang po at a later time we will submit it.

FGE: ... just a matching of the allegation and the answer of both the prosecution and the defense so we can weigh how it has been answered thus far and if the defense is still on line with respect to being on issue on Article 2.

Tupas; Yes but it was previously asked in the previous hearings of this honorable tribunal at ang klaro lang doon ay 2010, at least yung cash, 3.5 yung sa SALN at 31.5 million yung prinesent ng prosecution na pagmamay-ari ni chief justice pero with respect sa ibang taon po isusumite po naming yon para mapaliwanag lalo si Sen. Escudero.

FGE: As a final point, Mr. President, in relation to the question of Sen. Trillanes a while ago, it was my understandingthat the ruling of the presiding officer and the senate impeachment court in disallowing evidence to be presented in Article 2.4 is that in barring it ang assumption natin doon ay I don't know if it was in caucus or in plenary was that if it is proven by the prosecution although we said not properly alleged that there is income or there are assets in excess of income, the law says there is a presumption that it is ill-gotten and therefore the burden shifts from the prosecution to the defense to prove that it is not ill-gotten in which case the prosecution can present during rebuttal perhaps evidence to prove otherwise kaya nga sinabi naming sa ngayon hindi kayo pedeng magprisenta ng ebidensiya and I think that's the tendency of the witnesses presented by the defense now to try to explain and prove the sources of income at ang hinihintay din po namin sana dumating tayo sa puntong yon, Justice Cuevas, pinapalabs nyo sinong may-ari, saan galing yung pera, ang hinihintay din po naming ay yung paliwanag kung bakit wala doon, ano yung nandoon at saan ba matatagpuan don sa dokumentong tinatawag na SALN yung mga kanya pa at yung inaaamin niyang kanya, nakapangalan man sa kaniya o hindi. Darating din naman ho tayo doon, hindi ba?

Cuevas: Darating po kami roon.

FGE: Thank you, Mr. President, thank you Cong. Tupas.