Diversionary moves A LAW EACH DAY(KEEPS TROUBLE AWAY) By Jose C. Sison (The Philippine Star) | Updated September 6, 2013 - 12:00am 0 18 googleplus0 8 There is no doubt that our government is now like a messy pigsty brought about by the filth and the slime of the pork barrel scam spreading through the Legislative and Executive Departments. And it became messier with the recent surrender of the scam’s alleged mastermind, Janet Lim-Napoles, to no less than the President of this country himself who personally welcomed her in Malacanang and even escorted her to the PNP headquarters. P-Noy’s special treatment of Napoles, a fugitive from justice, has indeed given rise to dirtier and nastier but well founded views and conclusions that emitted more stenches from Malacanang and further stained beyond cleaning, his puffed up reputation for honesty. The rule in this connection is to deliver the surrendering accused to the nearest police station or jail without unnecessary delay (Rule 113 Section 3, Rules of Court). As President, who should be the first one to follow the rule, P-Noy should have ordered his boys to bring her to the nearest police station or jail, not to receive her in Malacanang social hall for some chat. His improper and untidy handling of this episode and the unusual care and concern shown to the alleged mastermind of the pork barrel scam, even escorting her to the PNP headquarters in the middle of the night, have indeed further muddled the situation. For a proper perspective and clearer view of the whole picture, the following facts should thus be pointed out: First, that Napoles went into hiding when she learned of a warrant for her arrest issued by Makati Regional Trial Court (RTC), in connection with the complaint of her former employee turned whistle blower Ben Hur Luy for serious illegal detention, not for a crime involving the pork barrel scam; Second, that Luy’s complaint for serious illegal detention against Napoles was already dismissed previously by the DOJ for lack of probable cause, but was subsequently revived and filed in court, only when the NBI was already investigating the pork barrel scam; Third, that the arrest warrant was issued a few days after Napoles started making more noise in media, including a one-on-one interview with the staff of a major newspaper where she admitted writing the Office of the President complaining about the NBI’s handling of the investigation; Opinion ( Article MRec ), pagematch: 1, sectionmatch: 1 Fourth, that according to Napoles’ own lawyer, she was able to evade arrest and hide because DOJ Secretary De Lima already announced to the press the issuance of her arrest warrant before the NBI could serve it; Fifth, that a few days after the million people march at the Luneta for the scrapping of the pork barrel system, Napoles surrendered to P-Noy who earlier announced a P10 million bounty for her capture; Sixth, that her surrender was arranged by lawyers Lacierda and Kapunan who previously worked in the same law firm; Seventh, that right after Napoles’ surrender and detention, Ombudsman Morales and DOJ Sec. De Lima came out with an appeal not to judge Napoles as already “guilty” ; Eight, that up to now indeed, the well publicized NBI investigation of the pork barrel scam is not yet finished, so no formal charges have been filed against Napoles or any lawmaker implicated. The idea of making her a state witness has even started floating in media; Ninth, that Napoles is now in the custody of the police under the DILG and not of the NBI under the DOJ because of the “less trustworthy” agents in the Bureau, according to P-Noy himself which is the very same gripe of Napoles against the NBI at the start of its investigation of the scam; and Tenth, as a result of P-Noy’s damaging comment, NBI Director Nonnatus Rojas and Deputy Director Arugay chose to resign irrevocably, apparently conveying their hurt feelings about P-Noy’s seeming inclination to believe Napoles more than the NBI. From the foregoing facts, you can easily draw your own conclusions. But one indubitable conclusion standing out is Napoles’ seemingly strong ties with Malacanang. So there is a possibility, and it is not really surprising, if she will be utilized as a state witness in the charges that may eventually be filed. There are likewise certain curious aspects in the on-going investigation of the scam. Foremost among them is the Commission on Audit (COA) report which covers only the period (2007-2009) before the start of P-Noy’s term and involves mainly the opposition legislators. Up to now however, nothing has been reported by the COA on the pork barrel of administration people and how they were utilized. People are especially curious to find out if P-Noy used his P200 million per annum pork during this period when he was a Senator, and where he used them. Furthermore, the sequence of events and its timing somehow shows that every happening has been planned and scripted for some purpose. Very noticeable here is refilling of a charge against Napoles that was already dismissed for lack of probable cause and the subsequent issuance of the arrest warrant against her a few days after her dialogue with the press people where she started to open up. Was she really made to “disappear” to temporarily silence her and prevent the discovery of her strong connections with the palace? Then the surrender of Napoles happened a few days after the million people march at the Luneta. It was during this time when the peoples’ outrage against the scam and the pork barrel system was reaching fever pitch and bigger series of mass actions are about to happen. So to divert the peoples’ attention once more, the sensational surrender hogged the headlines. Indeed it appears that media focus on the Napoles pork barrel scam started when the expose about the corruptions in the Bureau of Customs and the MRT train, involving P-Noy’s sister were the hot topics. Obviously, this was another diversionary move. So whatever diversionary moves are taken, let us continue with the mass actions until the pork barrel system in the government has been scrapped. Constant follow ups and vigil must also be made on the scam and other corrupt acts until the guilty have been convicted.
Posted on: Fri, 06 Sep 2013 00:50:57 +0000
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