Walking time bomb

If there’s anything good that came out of the P10 billion pork barrel scandal it’s the move of many beneficiaries thereof taking a tactical retreat from their pet project – charter change or “cha-cha”.

Proponents of that move in and outside of national legislature (with Lower House speaker Sonny Belmonte spearheading in the latter), curiously are now mum too, much in contrast to the noises they generated since PNoy took over Malacanang in July 2010 from one who also tried – and failed – to mangle the Constitution and introduce provisions to allow foreign corporate giants take 100 percent control and ownership of businesses and lands.

PNoy played coy with cha-cha but awkwardly carried out the script as unwilling accomplice. He was for cha-cha and he is only playing pogi by distancing himself from it. His own lieutenants were the loudest supporters of the move and he did even dare order them to toe his purported contrary stand. He opposed cha-cha accordingly but did not call on Belmonte to shut his trap.

Scripting events is an art that the PNoy administration is trying to perfect. The P10-B pork barrel scam that began with unnamed whistleblower/s appeared manageable at the start as revelations put on the chopping board only the necks of opposition personalities, to include Vice Pres. Jejomar Binay who does not hide his presidential ambition, and Sen. Jinggoy Estrada, his prospective running mate.

But the torrents whipped by the scripted storm spun out of the control of the stage director based in Malakanyang; the exposes went beyond funds released after GMA’s reign ended in June 2010; the latest trend dragged top guns close to PNoy. Critics also cited Mar Roxas, boss of the DILG which also received P1.2 billion pork yearly.

The “surrender” of principal suspect, Janet Lim Napoles, is another script gone awry. The woman who founded spurious NGOs that laundered pork money is not the least guilty but Malakanyang gobbledygooks regale us with yet more scripts, this time around, with Janet Lim Napoles – the woman who enticed senators and congress people to plunk in their pork in her bogus NGOs with sharing scheme of 70 – 30 the bigger slice going to the honorables – being turned state witness.

The whistleblower/s despite their anonymity proved themselves better sources of damning evidences. The COA documents that bolstered their exposes, say it all that Janet Lim Napoles is not the least guilty nor is the only source of evidence, thus is no longer needed as state witness. Thus, must be treated in the same league with the honourable men and women who flirted with her and her fake NGOs.

A pickpocket gets mobbed and all sort of blows that come along with citizens’ arrest, and is still destined to get more at the police station. Napoles, the person who far outdoes any snatcher combined with the Tirtir, Kuratong Baleleng, Bukas Kotse, Basag Kotse, Budol-budolg, Acetylin and what-not-gangs, managed to slip through the thick security lines of Malakanyang and personally surrendered to no less than the highest officer of the Republic who in turn escorted her to Camp Crame, assured of tight protection from gangsters and the heat –so her room must be airconditioned.

Public opinion though blackeyed PNoy thus, his face saving gesture of turning her over to the Bureau of Jail Management detention in Makati City.

Napoles is now a walking time bomb. She is a repository of information and damning evidences that can spell the future of public officials who have dipped their dirty hands in the cookie jar.