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No. 49 - December 12, 2000
The Impeachment Trial Players
It is now up to the 11 congressmen-prosecutors
to convince the Senator-Judges with the weight and presentation
of evidence on the impeachment trial on President Joseph Estrada
which started on 7 December and expected to continue until
the first half of January next year.
Supreme Court Chief Justice Hilario G. Davide,
Jr. is the presiding officer of the impeachment body with
the 21 Senator-Judges (Sen. Robert Barbers is currently abroad)
who are expected to vote “Guilty” or “Not Guilty”
on the four articles of impeachment on judgement day.
The three lawyers defending President Joseph
Estrada are Raul A. Daza, Andres R. Narvasa, and Estelito
P. Mendoza. Meanwhile, those assigned to prosecute the bribery
case are Reps. Sergio Apostol, Roan Libarios, and Salacnib
Baterina. On graft and corruption, the lead counsel for the
tobacco tax kickback case is Rep. Joker Arroyo, assisted by
Rep. Oscar Moreno in prosecuting the unexplained wealth and
mansion case. Reps. Raul Gonzalez, Clavel Martinez, and Oscar
Rodriguez are tasked to present evidence on the betrayal of
public trust, which includes the BW stock manipulation scandal.
Finally, Reps. Wigberto Tañada and Antonio Nachura
will present the culpable violation of the Constitution case.
Among the prosecutors, only Rep. Oscar S. Rodriguez
was not included in the 77 initial endorsers of the impeachment
complaint. But he was later included in the additional 38
endorsers.
Eight members of the panel are still eligible
for re-election and only Reps. Arroyo, Belmonte Jr., and Apostol
are serving on third and last terms. Under the Omnibus Election
Code, upon filing of the certificate of candidacy, an elective
official would be considered resigned from their office.
The Presiding Officer
HILARIO G. DAVIDE, JR. is a Bachelor of Laws
graduate of the University of the Philippines who hails from
Cebu City. He was the Chairman of the Presidential Fact-Finding
Commission in 1989 and Chairman of the Commission on Elections
in 1988. He was also Commissioner of the 1986 Constitutional
Commission.
During the Martial Law years, he was the Region
VII assemblyman, and the first Minority Floor Leader of the
Interim Batasang Pambansa (1978). In 1971, he was a delegate
to the Constitutional Convention (CONCON) in the District
of Cebu.
The Prosecutors
FELICIANO R. BELMONTE JR.
(Quezon City-4th district / 3rd Term / LAKAS) is the chief
prosecutor. He finished law at the Lyceum of the Philippines
in 1960. During Diosdado Macapagal’s administration (1962-65),
he became Executive Assistant of Central Bank, Special Assistant
to the Commissioner of Customs and to the Secretary of Finance,
and a Presidential Staff Assistant. He practiced law from
1966 to 1986. During the Aquino administration, he was appointed
chairman of the Government Service Insurance System. He also
became director of a number of government-owned corporations
including Philippine Airlines, Commercial Bank of Manila,
and the Manila Hotel Corporation.
SERGIO ANTONIO F. APOSTOL
(Leyte-2nd district / 3rd Term / LAKAS) is a lawyer by profession.
He finished college at Letran College and received his law
degree from Ateneo de Manila University in 1958. At age 24,
he was elected municipal councilor in Barugo, Leyte and in
1963 became member of the provincial board. He was appointed
District Judge of Quezon City and served as City Fiscal between
1981 to 1986. From 1982 to 1986, he also served as Metro Manila
Commission Chief Legal Counsel, APO-NEDA and Ministry of Human
Settlements consultant. He ran as representative in 1992 and
later re-elected in 1995 and 1998.
JOKER P. ARROYO
(Makati City-1st district / 3rd Term / LAMP-IND) was Benigno
“Ninoy” Aquino Jr.’s lawyer. Arroyo was the
first lawyer to challenge the constitutionality of Proclamation
1081 (imposing martial law). He also questioned before the
Supreme Court the ratification of the 1973 Constitution; amendment
Six that empowered former President Marcos to exercise law
making powers; and the power of military tribunals to try
civilians. He participated in the trials of Eugenio Lopez.
Jr., Jose Ma. Sison, Jovito Salonga, and Kumander Dante. He
was appointed executive secretary during the Aquino administration
after the 1986 people power revolution. He was elected representative
of Makati in the 9th and 10th Congress.
SALACNIB F. BATERINA
(Ilocos Sur-1st district / 1st Term / LAMP) finished law in
1960 at the University of the Philippines. He served as Assemblyman
(Assistant Majority Floor Leader) from 1978 to 1986, both
in the Interim and Regular Batasang Pambansa.
RAUL M. GONZALEZ
(Iloilo City / 2nd Term / NP-LAKAS) obtained his pre-law at
the University of San Agustin in Iloilo and later finished
AB and L1.B at the University of Santo Tomas. He topped the
qualifying exams for the Judge Advocate General’s Service
(AFP) in 1955 and later took the Bar in March 1956. He prosecuted
the Aquino-Galman murder cases and chaired the Escalante Fact
Finding Commission on the massacre of unarmed civilian-demonstrators
in 1985. He was Ombudsman from 4 April 1986 to December 1988.
ROAN I. LIBARIOS
(Agusan del Norte-2nd district / 1st Term / LAMP-LDP) obtained
his law degree from U.P. Diliman in 1984. He was provincial
attorney of Agusan del Sur in 1987 and a practicing lawyer
until 1992. He was elected Vice Governor of Agusan del Norte
Province from 1992 to 1995. He returned to law practice in
1995 to 1998 before being elected as representative. Early
this year, he was designated as member of the government peace
panel for talks with the Rebolusyonaryong Partido ng Manggagawa
sa Pilipinas/Revolutionary Proletariat Army/Alex Boncayao
Brigade (RPM/RPA/ABB).
CLAVEL A. MARTINEZ
(Cebu-4th district / 1st Term / PROMDI) holds a Bachelor of
Science Degree (Major in Zoology) and Bachelor of Laws from
Southwestern University, Cebu City. She was Assistant Majority
Floor Leader of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan in the Province
of Cebu. She served as Director of the Federacion International
de Abogadas in 1967 and Treasurer of the Integrated Bar of
the Philippines (Cebu) in 1980. She was a Full Bright Hays
Scholar in the Field of Law in 1968 and an awardee of the
American Jurisprudence for Excellent Achievement in Comparative
Commercial Law in 1969.
OSCAR S. MORENO
(Misamis Oriental-1st district / 1st Term / LAKAS) obtained
a Bachelor of Laws Degree and a silver medal for academic
excellence in San Beda College. He was trial attorney for
the Philippine National Railways in 1976 and Assistant Legal
Officer of Far East Bank and Trust Company in 1977 to 1980.
He transferred to Ayala Investment and Development Corp. as
assistant legal officer in 1980. From then until he ran for
a congressional seat in 1998, Moreno served in the private
sector as a legal counsel.
ANTONIO EDUARDO B. NACHURA
(Western Samar-2nd district / 1st Term / LP) obtained his
law degree in San Beda College, placing 7th in the Bar exams
of 1967. He served as official of several government agencies
including the Government Service Insurance System, the Grains
Insurance Agency Corporation, and the Housing and Land Use
Regulatory Board the Department of Education, Culture and
Sports. He was a partner of the Brillantes, Nachura, Navarro,
and Arcilla Law Offices from 1987 to 1993. He also became
Dean of the Arellano Law School and a pre-bar reviewer and
professor of law.
OSCAR S. RODRIGUEZ
(Pampanga-3rd district / 2nd Term / LAMP-IND) graduated Cum
Laude (Bachelor of Arts) in Harvardian Colleges. He obtained
his Bachelor of Laws degree from Far Eastern University. He
was associate professor at San Sebastian College of Law from
1976 to 1980 and later as faculty member of the University
of the Assumption in San Fernando, Pampanga. He served as
provincial administrator of Pampanga from 1986 to 1987. He
was elected representative of Pampanga during the 8th and
10th Congress.
WIGBERTO E. TAÑADA
(Quezon-4th district / 2nd Term / LP) took his Bachelor of
Laws at the Manuel L. Quezon University in 1959 and later
obtained Master of Laws at the Harvard Law School in 1962.
He was a law professor at the Manuel L. Quezon University
from 1964 to 1969 and a partner of the Tañada, Vivo
and Tan Law Office since 1970. He became Customs Commissioner
in 1986 And a member of the Judicial and Bar Council from
1987 to 1991. He served as Senator from 1987 to 1995 and was
known as a foremost nationalist, peace advocate, and crusader
against graft and corruption.
The Defense Panel
RAUL A. DAZA acquired his law
degree from the University of the Philippines. He was the
first Filipino without formal education in the United States
to pass both the California attorney and CPA examinations.
He is a member of the State Bar of California.
Atty. Daza is Commissioner of the Preparatory
Commission on Constitutional Reforms in 1999. Currently president
of the Liberal Party, he has represented the congressional
district of Samar from the 7th up to the 10th Congress: Senior
Deputy Speaker in the 10th Congress (1995-1998) and Speaker
Pro Tempore in the 9th Congress (1992-1995). Back in 1986-1987,
he was appointed Deputy Minister of the Presidential Commission
on Good Government (PCGG).
ANDRES R. NARVASA
is law graduate of the University of Sto. Tomas. He was the
former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines
(1991-1998). In 1999, he was appointed by President Joseph
Estrada as Chairman of the Preparatory Commission on Constitutional
Reforms.
Atty. Narvasa was an Associate Justice of the
Supreme Court from 1986 to 1991. He was also the General Counsel
of the Fact-Finding Board (PD1886) in 1993. His recognition
include the Distinguished Service to Justice Award from the
Philippine Bar Association in 1984 and the Code of Kalantiao
award, conferred by President Estrada in 1998.
ESTELITO P. MENDOZA
is a seasoned lawyer from Bacolor, Pampanga, whose clients
include controversial personalities such as Former First Lady
Imelda Marcos, businessmen Eduardo “Danding” Cojuangco,
Lucio Tan, and Mark Jimenez— Manila Times Publisher and
close friend of President Joseph Estrada.
He was a strong ally of former President
Ferdinand Marcos. Under the Marcos administration, he has
served different positions, namely Provincial Governor, Justice
Minister, and Solicitor General.
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