Court rejects bid to present
PAL official re free plane tickets

PAL vice president Enrique Javier (pool photo)

PRESIDING OFFICER Juan Ponce Enrile rejected outright a bid by prosecutors to present Philippine Airlines Vice President for Sales Enrique Javier as part of its presentation of Article 3 of the impeachment complaint.

Enrile ruled that prosecutors would be going beyond the scope of Article 3 of the complaint, where it is alleged that Supreme Court Chief Justice Renato Corona committed culpable violations of the Constitution and betrayed public trust by failing to show “competence, integrity, probity, and independence” through reversals of prominent decisions made by the Supreme Court.

In particular, prosecutors said the charges were proven by the “flip-flopping” of the Supreme Court on the case of the Flight Attendants and Stewards Association of the Philippines (FASAP) versus Philippine Airlines. Prosecutors alleged that the Supreme Court overturned an earlier decision in favor of FASAP after PAL legal counsel Estelito Mendoza wrote a letter to the Supreme Court.

But in presenting Javier to the court today, prosecutor Marlon Manuel said Javier would prove that Corona received free plane tickets and other travel benefits that would have affected his impartiality in deciding on the PAL case.

However, Enrile immediately interjected and noted that there was no mention of plane tickets in the complaint.

“I just read Article 3 to you, and there is no allegation in Article 3 that you are alleging now about favors,” Enrile said.

Prosecutors tried to argue that they want to prove Corona’s lack of independence and impartiality in his court rulings. However, Enrile cut them off by saying that the prosecutors were in effect “expanding” on the impeachment charge that the House of Representatives had already approved.

“You are expanding, and this court will not allow the expanding, unless you amend the complaint,” Enrile said. Prosecutors asked for a short recess in order to confer among themselves for their next move.