“We do not celebrate the conviction but rather the beginning of a more transparent judiciary towards more accountable governance.”-Tañada

The conviction of Chief Justice Renato Corona is a milestone in Philippine history.

Deputy Speaker Lorenzo “Erin” R. Tañada III said, “I congratulate our country and our people not because we convicted Renato Corona, but because we were able to stop the downward spiral of our judiciary into a morass of corruption.

Today we, as a people showed the world that our country is politically mature and ready to forge ahead in our fight for transparency and accountability  and most importantly strengthen  our democratic processes.

Tañada  added, “It is unfortunate that we have to go through this process achieve  political maturity, but it must be done if we need to join the family of democratic, transparent states.”

“But let us start anew. Let us start the more grueling and more taxing work of building a country where the institutions of governance are respected, transparent, and answerable to the people where ultimate authority resides,” Tañada said.

“For my part, I shall continue to push forward the Freedom of Information bill in order to have a more automatic mechanism for transparency, accountability, and true and honest rendition of  public service.”

“The conviction of the Chief Justice is a referendum on the political agenda of President Noynoy Aquino, especially his anti-corruption drive. With the Senate convicting the Chief Justice, the people are behind President Aquino’s Administration,” ends Tañada.