Interesting turn of events

The president might have taken a cue from the movie "Ransom". In that, Mel Gibson, the father of a kidnapped boy, offers the sum of two, then four million dollars as a reward to anyone who could offer information as to the whereabouts of his son, instead of paying the kidnappers. Seeing the seriousness of the situation, Gary Sinise ends up turning on his accomplices, "rescuing" Gibson's son and collecting the reward. Of course it ends badly for Sinise. In less than twelve hours after the president announced a reward of ten million pesos to whoever can provide information leading to the arrest of fugitive and alleged mastermind behind the pork barrel scam, Janet Napoles surrenders directly to the chief executive. For many, the president's move could not have worked out any better.

According to Napoles' lawyer, she surrendered out of fear for her life, especially after the reward money was put up. Who knows who would turn against her, especially with that kind of money, tax-free. And why only to the president? Again, according to her lawyer, he was the only one she could trust, to offer protection. Indeed, talk was rife that when she turned up missing, she would never be found again. With all the well-known names being revealed by the steadily growing number of whistleblowers, it is no mystery that perhaps someone would prefer that she was no longer around for the government to talk to. The big protest-rally last Monday has made the whole pork barrel issue a national one, causing not only the dismay and anger of many, but the interest of everyone.

But her surrendering directly to the president has also raised some eyebrows. With her seemingly vast political and celebrity connections coming to bear, some don't find it hard to understand why she could directly surrender to the president. Some are even asking if a deal was already forged that led to her surrender, incensing many to the idea that she could actually get off the hook, if guilty. All these were flatly denied by the Palace. She isn't also being accorded any special treatment, now that she is in the custody of the government. Which is why many are now closely monitoring the events that will transpire in the coming days. A Senate investigation into the pork barrel scam is beginning. With Napoles in custody, this should definitely become interesting, if only for the fact that some senators are already dragged into the mess.

It has been an interesting turn of events. The whistleblowers and their revelations, the president's announcement regarding scrapping the pork barrel funds, the protest-rally, the reward and the surrender. The whole country is waiting to see what will happen next. Now, if only the other high-profile fugitives would also be in custody, like Jovito Palparan. Perhaps it is time to up the ante on that one as well?