to convict the Chief Justice. The money used to bribe the congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint and the senator-judges who voted to convict were government funds the Aquino administration had misappropriated under the now-infamous "DAP" (Disbursement Acceleration Program). "The Aquino administration used P6.5 billion from the little-known Disbursement Acceleration Program (DAP) before, during and after the impeachment trial of then Chief Justice Renato Corona to bend Congress to its will, two members of the House of Representatives told the Inquirer." The Supreme Court later ruled that the DAP was unconstitutional. A retired chief justice said that because of the bribery involved, the removal of Chief Justice Corona is null and void. The Hacienda Luisita Case The Hacienda Luisita legal battle and final Supreme Court decision spanned almost fifty years. The Cojuangco-Aquinos refused to honor their legal obligation to distribute the land under the social justice program, as per the terms of the loan that allowed them to take over the Hacienda. Using their immense financial and political powers, the Cojuangco-Aquinos tried to wear down the poor farmers with the decades-long legal battle. On January 22, 1987, thousands of farmers marched to Malacañang Palace to demand the distribution of the land. 13 protesting farmers were shot in what is now known as the "Mendiola Massacre." On November 2004, the farmers held a protest against the mass retrenchment of farm workers. The farmers, their children and other protesters/supporters were gunned down, and farmers and activists have blamed the Aquinos for trying to silence them. This was called the "Hacienda Luisita Massacre." The Fight for Judicial Independence An attack of the Executive and Legislative branches on the Judicial branch, a co-equal branch of government: The death of the principle of separation of powers When the House of Representatives impeached the Chief Justice at the behest of former President Benigno Cojuangco Aquino after the Supreme Court's Hacienda Luisita decision, the move was seen as an attack on the judiciary. In fact, there was overwhelming evidence produced later that former President Benigno Aquino threatened and bribed the Legislative branch to collude with him. The Aquino administration gave the senator-judges between P50 to P100 million (fifty to one hundred million pesos) to convict the Chief Justice. The money used to bribe the congressmen who signed the impeachment complaint and the senator-judges who voted to convict were government funds the Aquino administration had misappropriated under the