No dividing line
 |
| Click to enlarge |
With several allies of Noynoy Aquino — coming from the executive, legislative and even local executives, once allies of Gloria Arroyo when she was in power and position — being charged by the Ombudsman’s office for plunder and graft, how would the Malacañang tenant handle this, especially since these complaints on the P728-million fertilizer fund scam will likely be elevated before the Sandiganbayan?
Already, Speaker Sonny Belmonte quickly reacted by claiming that Ombudsman Merceditas Gutierrez had these charges filed against certain congressmen in her bid to weaken the impeachment charges against her and he said he does not consider this move as retaliatory on her part.
Said he: “The members of the House are already out of this, since we have voted on it. I look at it as a move to defang one of the impeachment charges, which is related to the fertilizer scam,” adding that the fact that it took seven years after the 2004 fertilizer scam to come up with this charge “only proves that there was prolonged delay of action,” which is also a charge leveled against Merci by the House.
But shouldn’t the logical reaction be — since Noynoy and his allies keep on claiming that they are the “good” and all the rest are “evil” — to applaud the fact that finally, the law is catching up on all those who got a share of the fertilizer fund to help finance their 2004 election bid?
Does it matter if these charges have been delayed? And does it really matter if this move is meant by Merci to defang one of the impeachment charges? After all, no matter the charges leveled against Merci for her impeachment trial, everything should depend on how well, or how badly the House prosecutors prove their case, and how well or how badly Merci defends herself and disproves the charges against her — that is, if the senator-judges decide on the merits of the case, and not be influenced by political partisanship or even the so-called public opinion, because in the end, what may be claimed to be public opinion may only reflect the opinion of the noisy Yellows. In then sitting president Joseph Estrada’s impeachment and the Edsa II elite mob rule, removing him through a coup was not the popular public opinion, as gleaned from the Edsa III revolt.
Noynoy’s mouthpiece, Edwin Lacierda, had a different reaction, calling on the Office of the Ombudsman to exercise caution in naming government officials it said were liable in the fertilizer fund scam, pointing out that even Noynoy had been unfairly included as among its recipients.
“I don’t know if that list (of respondents for plunder) is vetted. The Ombudsman should study and scrutinize it further. Investigators should vet the names of persons, whoever they may be,” Lacierda was quoted as saying.
Yet it was also clear in all the reports that the Ombudsman’s Office had already made clear that Noynoy, although listed, was not a recipient of the fertilizer fund scam as it was Joc-Joc’s list.
Budget Secretary Butch Abad, along with Neric Acosta and other Liberal Party mates of Noynoy were also listed. Acosta already has a case before the Sandiganbayan for graft. This would be the second one.
The truth is, all of these congressmen listed — whether they got their share of the fertilizer fund scam, or appear merely on the list of Joc-joc Bolante — were then all the allies of Gloria, and even when they knew all these were irregular, they nevertheless kept their trap shut. They even knew at that time that there was massive electoral cheating in 2004, and they kept the lid on this, precisely because Gloria was their candidate, and they wanted to make sure she stayed in Malacañang, so that they, her allies, could continue to enjoy power and privilege.
Even Noynoy was her ally and he certainly was part of that “protecting Gloria” caper. Never once did he speak against her and her regime; never once did he denounce the many charges of graft and corruption in her regime, despite the many scandals in which she and her regime were embroiled.
How can they who claim to be “good” be good and clean when they came from “evil,” and the corruption connected with it?
There does not appear to be any dividing line bteween good and evil, after all.
0 comments:
Post a Comment