What is really the grandmother of scams?

I was tossin’ and turnin’ early dawn Tuesday, disturbed by that bombshell about that supposedly P10 billion pork barrel scam. It has been plaguing the headlines of media outlets over the weekend including the issue on Charter changes that we wrote about in last Tuesday’s column. Then all of a sudden… there was that front page report last Sunday that struck me… Justice Secretary Leila de Lima confirmed a probe on a Janet Lim-Napoles on this so-called mother of scams and beside it a report that declared, “Napoles clears Ochoa law firm.” Again… Ezzz a puzzlement! A discredited Napoles clears Ochoa? What’s the deal here?

Call it a “Eureka” moment but how could a news report feature the mother of all scams while at the same breath clear the name of Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa of any involvement in this scam while the NBI is still investigating this case? Hey, I’m not saying that Ochoa is guilty… but to just simply clear his name via a news report only fuels more rumors of a possible deeper involvement and clearing his name speaks… cover-up!

Come now… is this really the mother of all scams or are we seeing the bigger, grandmother of all scams being thrown out of the headlines? We’ve been a keen watcher of how the propaganda machinery of the Aquino regime operates and in my book this so-called story of the mother of all scams have all but taken off the headlines the bigger news stories in the last month and weeks.

Yes, I’m referring to that very embarrassing news on the so-called “sex-for-flight” which suddenly is no longer “newsworthy” and therefore off the headlines. We wrote a column on this topic a week ago and despite the headlines of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirming this story… we asked that poignant question why heads haven’t yet rolled? But then it is just too close for comfort to the upcoming State of the Nation Address (SONA) of President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III and firing people at this time would certainly create instability inside Malacañang.

Meanwhile, two fellow STAR columnists have come up with their own bombshell, Federico Pascual exposing the Commission on Elections (Comelec) of being given P30 M to clean up its poll mess, while Jarius Bondoc threw a bigger bombshell that the Comelec website was showing a reduced Senatorial votes. Ahhh… but then elections are already over and we’re supposed to “move forward.” If you ask me… that P10 B mother of all scams is nothing but a way to get the sins of the Comelec off the headlines!

If we were Egyptians these twin reports from STAR columnists should have sent millions marching in the streets to protest against election fraud perpetrated by the very agency tasked to give our people clean, honest and credible elections! But no one is on the streets perhaps because EDSA has become a huge parking lot and there is no more room for people to hold protest. This brings us to that famous quote by Edmund Burke, “All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

The Aquino regime came into power with the slogan “Kung Walang Corrupt, Walang Mahirap” and to follow the straight path (Daang Matuwid), but three-years into his presidency, the Philippine National Police (PNP) has now been dubbed as the most corrupt of all gov’t agencies. Why is this happening? Again we quote Edmund Burke… because good men do nothing. Yes there are many good men and women in the PNP, but they do nothing to stop the corruption within their ranks. So where are these good men?

A case in point is what happened in that so-called shootout in Davao City, which became viral on You Tube, wherein three kidnappers were killed. From the looks of that video, I didn’t see any shootout. Shades of Atimonan rubout? Then last Monday the leaders of the Ozamis robbery gang were shot and killed while they were allegedly trying to escape. What’s this, another rubout? How many more will happen under P-Noy’s watch?

Meanwhile Human Rights chair Etta Rosales wrote Mayor Duterte to explain his side. In my book, writing Mayor Duterte is futile, as he has already publicly defended the Davao City Police. What the CHR Chairman ought to do is conduct a thorough investigation on this case. After all, thousands of us already saw that “shootout” on You Tube.

Meanwhile, I hope that CHR Chair Rosales will also investigate BayBay City Mayor Carmen Cari and ask her why she ordered the 78th IB of the Philippine Army and the City PNP and Provincial PNP personnel, led by P/Supt. Carlito Gallardo and Col. Bajao of the army, to arrest 700 election protesters and supporters of Malot Galenzoga without any arrest warrants? But Etta Rosales isn’t investigating anything…she just writes letters. Shame!

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