Extra special treatment

There is really something so bothersome about the special treatment given by this administration to Janet Lim Napoles, the alleged brains of the P10 billion pork barrel scam. It is so difficult to just keep quiet about it and allow it to continue without pointing out and airing the many evils connected with such disgusting action of this administration.

First of all is the P5,000 a day or P150,000 a month of taxpayers’ money spent to keep her safe and comfortable in her detention cell. Spending this huge amount for such purpose, on the suspected mastermind of the scam that already resulted in the loss of P10 billion of the taxpayers’ money is really not the act of a government which has repeatedly assured the taxpayers or the people as a whole that they are the boss( “kayo ang boss ko).  In fact, many believe and are of the impression that this is not only an unwise but also a somewhat deranged act.

And that impression was further bolstered when they learned that this government also spent P120,000 to safely bring her to Manila for medical examination that cost another P30,000. People really thought that her safety could have been better insured if she was brought here quietly and secretly, with less fanfare and number of bodyguards and without wailing sirens that only attracted too much attention. Plain common sense will tell us that security measures undertaken in a covert manner are more effective and less expensive. Definitely, it would have entailed such huge amount. Thus there is really some basis for people to think that the government’s handling of this case is somewhat bizarre.

But more unusual about this special treatment of Napoles is the fact that she is detained not because of the plunder charge wherein she is the suspected mastermind. Her detention here stems from the charge of kidnapping or serious illegal detention, a crime against personal liberty committed by a private individual against another individual, which is a non-bailable offense punishable under Article 267 of the Revised Penal Code. Obviously, this is a serious offense, but it mainly involves two private individuals. Hence, there is really no reason for the government to go out of its way and spend a lot of money to assure the safety and comfort of the accused. Under ordinary circumstances, criminals suspected of committing said crime do not deserve such kind of government protection.

And the height of absurdity or oddity here is that the alleged victim of the serious illegal detention supposedly committed by Napoles is one of the whistle blowers, Ben Hur Luy who is a government witness against her as the supposed mastermind of the scam. No one in his right mind can perceive any sense in this kind of situation. It seems that the government is more concerned about the safety and comfort of the accused than her victim; about the safety and comfort of the suspected scammer than the government witness against her. This is really quite dumbfounding and perplexing especially to the victim and witness like Luy.

Aside from these oddities in this Napoles affair however, is the unfairness of it all. It is a concrete example of the double standard of justice now more prevalent in our society where the filthy rich and the moneyed class are “more equal” than the lowly and less fortunate. Those with more money whether from legitimate or illegitimate sources, have better chances of avoiding jail or being under “hospital arrest” while their case is pending court trial.

Coming to mind right away in this connection are the thousands of other persons accused of much lesser and mere petty crimes now detained in jails all over the country under almost unbearable and inhuman conditions. They are also mere suspects and presumed innocent until proven guilty but are already languishing in congested jails without adequate facilities that look more like “pig sties”. Most of them are detained because they cannot afford to post bail for such petty crime as stealing because of extreme hunger.

The huge amount of taxpayers’ money now being spent on Napoles, should have been used in alleviating even a little bit the hellish conditions in these places of detention. This can be done by simply transferring Napoles to the regular jail in Makati City where her case is pending. At least the government will be spared for further spending such monthly amount which may last indefinitely at the pace our wheels of justice grind.

Unfortunately, this government has already closed its door to such alternative. It is opposing the idea of a regular jail for Napoles for fear that it might be blamed if someone takes her life or   something else serious happens to her inside the regular jail. This kind of reasoning is again quite absurd. It is an admission that our jails are not really safe and are indeed dangerous to life and health of the detainees. It is an admission of failure to do its job particularly in the administration of justice.

Actually however, this government is giving such special treatment to Napoles for some other deeper reasons. And this can be deduced from the events and circumstances surrounding the scam from the time it was exposed. The photographs coming out right after such expose showing PNoy and some of his cohorts cordially smiling together with Napoles obviously prove that there is a “special relationship” between them. This was further confirmed by her clandestine surrender very much earlier than it was announced when no less than PNoy received her in Malacañang like a VIP. Then also, PNoy himself, the President of this country escorted her to Crame for the necessary fingerprinting and profiling prior to her detention in a hotel-like accommodation inside Fort Sto Domingo. From these events and circumstances happening after the scam, people cannot help but conclude that this administration is coddling Napoles for fear that she might “tell all”.

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