I am really not surprised at the news that one of the accused in the Vhong Navarro case now wants to tell all. Last Monday, a court in Taguig issued warrants of arrest for four of Cedric Lee's group, including the alleged rape victim, Deniece Cornejo. Why Bernice Lee and JP Calma were excluded from the list when they were also accused of grave coercion is still a mystery, and is being questioned by Navarro's camp. The crime of serious illegal detention is non-bailable, so as soon as they are arrested, they go straight to jail. That is something to see, actually. Perhaps the Holy Week did some good to the now would-be whistleblower, if you will, as the DOJ is still studying whether he is eligible for the government's Witness Protection Program. He has to be the least guilty of the crime. From what Sec. Leila de Lima has divulged so far, the person has lots to tell. He probably had the whole week to reflect, along with the advice from family, friends and even lawyers, to turn against Lee. As of this writing, the identity of the witness has not been made public, for his own safety. Who knows what lies in store for him, once his gang know that he plans to sing his heart out.
From the planning of "Oplan Bugbog" - my goodness they even named the crime - to its execution and perhaps to the cover-up, as shown by Cornejo's purchase of video editing equipment. How they would have gotten their hands on the CCTV video is something the authorities must look into, as it most probably involves some of the condominium's security personnel.
Obviously, the world of Cedric Lee, Deniece Cornejo et al is shrinking rapidly. Both Lee and Ferdinand Guerrero have tried to leave the country. Thank goodness they were not successful. Obviously nobody is buying their version of the story, no matter what they do on social media. What is disconcerting is that most of those already issued warrants of arrest cannot at present be found by the authorities. And I thought they would see this through, from their earlier pronouncements on media, especially by Lee and Cornejo, to the point of belligerence and arrogance. I, along with the whole country would be dismayed if they have successfully left the country. Totally unacceptable. This case has gripped the attention and imagination of the people since it first hit the news. Like life imitating art, the protagonist suffers major setbacks at the beginning, but is eventually vindicated and receives justice at the end. Filipinos just love this theme on film.
It is what many live for. A good ending.