In a week that was full of ups and downs for the prosecution, the defense team of the embattled Philippine Supreme Court Chief Justice is taking advantage of the prosecutors’ seeming lack of trial practice and has so far succeeded in blocking the presentation of key documents that could lead to the opening of a Pandora’s box for Chief Justice Renato Corona.

The defense may have also found an unlikely ally in some senators who subliminally accused the House or Representative prosecutors of lying by only being able to present 24 (or 18) properties directly linked to the Corona family instead of the 45 as his accusers had earlier announced.

But just because the prosecutors failed to find the 21 (or 27) others, does it mean Corona will be exonerated?

Hello, is it not long ago when Corona publicly claimed that he only has five properties?

Some bright minds from the Civil Service Commission (CSC) even said any omission of properties from one government official’s statement of assets, liabilities and net worth, inadvertent or otherwise, may be corrected which will tantamount to remedying the violation. And some gullible senator judges are buying into the CSC advice.

If you were ‘inadvertently’ not declaring all your properties and not correcting them in due time, are you not painting a congenital prevaricator of yourself which makes you unfit to become the highest official of the Supreme Court?

When you refused to show your bank accounts and other sources of income, which were not reflected in your income tax returns, aren’t you hiding something? Is it not an established jurisprudence that any property or money found in your possession that cannot be supported by your legitimate and declared income means they are presumed ill-gotten?

Why have you acquired most of these properties of notable value only when your previous benefactor became the highest official of the land? Or are these acquisitions mere coincidental?

The ongoing trial may be frustrating for some who are expecting a smoking gun. But it is not all about the incompetence of his accusers who are on the line. It is all about how guilty the Chief Justice is in not declaring all his assets over a period of time – not just a single year.

The Chief Justice may not be facing charges of ill-gotten wealth as agreed by the Senate impeachment tribunal but if you cannot support your claim of being a man of no ordinary means in acquiring these properties – declared, underdeclared, misdeclared and undeclared – then you are at least very least guilty of claiming to be rich which also makes you incompetent to become the chief justice.

Of course, the Chief Justice will have his day in court and his panel of defense lawyers – all high caliber ordinary men cannot afford – will try to prove he is rich, filthy rich.

Every Filipino following the trial would love to hear what they have to say.

At least for now, I believe the prosecutors have already made their case as far as Article 2 is concerned. And that is, make the Chief Justice explain all these acquired properties, even only those presented by the House of Representative prosecution panel.

Oh what a week it was – the third one.