Philippine Supreme Court justice impeached

Philippine lawmakers impeached the Supreme Court's chief justice on charges of corruption and biased judgments in favor of ex-President Gloria Arroyo.The resolution to impeach Renato Corona, signed Monday by 188 of the 284 members of the House of Representatives, is expected to be followed by a trial in the Senate next year, The New York Times reported.Corona was appointed by Arroyo. The Times said the impeachment grew out of a battle between Corona and Benigno S. Aquino III, the popular Philippine president."This is more a battle of personalities than a conflict between the branches of government," said Florin Hilbay, a constitutional scholar at the University of the Philippines.Aquino has criticized Corona, saying the chief justice has been biased in favor of Arroyo and hindered her prosecution."The question now is: Is the Supreme Court in violation of the Constitution?" Aquino said in a Dec. 5 speech. Corona, who has portrayed the impeachment as an effort to weaken the judiciary, told court employees Monday he would "fight all who dare to destroy the court and our system of justice."Niel Tupas Jr., who heads the congressional justice committee, denied Aquino was behind the impeachment or that it was a move to weaken the court."We want to bring back the faith and confidence of the people in the judiciary," Tupas said. "It is the person we impeached, not the institution."