Standard Smokescreen

The Daily Tribune

http://www.tribune.net.ph/business/20090323bus9.html

After being in power for more than eight years now, the Arroyo administration has become so predictable already in regard its handling of any corruption charges leveled against it and those that it perceived as its enemies.

But what is amusing, however, is that there are still a good number who seem to not have grasped Malacañang’s scheming ways every time it tries to extricate itself from any mess of its own making and in dealing with its known enemies. What amazed this columnist is the seeming gullibility of some to immediately swallow hook, line and sinker Malacañang’s defense or offense in this regard.

Established is the fact that when Malacañang’s occupant or any of its trusted minions are accused of being involved in multimillion-pesos corruption charges such as the Jose Pidal account controversy and the scuttled NBN deal with China’s ZTE Corp. scandal, key witnesses to these corruption scandals easily become scarce, silent or even “kidnapped.” It is still very fresh in the nation’s mind how Odong Mahusay, the key witness in the Jose Pidal account scandal was supposedly “rescued” by then Malacañang chief of staff Mike Defensor aided no less by presidential guards.

Once in the safe arms of those accused of being involved in this particular scandal, Mahusay changed course by recanting his previous statement naming the First Gentleman as Jose Pidal who owned the controversial multimillion-pesos account. Later, that account was owned up by the First Gentleman’s younger brother, now Negros Occidental Rep. Ignacio “Iggy” Arroyo.

But the crucial twist about this scandal occurred only when Mahusay was “rescued” from the safe house he stayed in while waiting to be summoned to appear before the Senate.

When Jun Lozada, the guy who made famous the “moderate their greed” phrase in the ZTE-NBN deal investigation, was slated to appear before the Senate upon his return from a trip abroad that he says was actually an excuse so he could not appear and testify in the scandal’s investigation, he too almost disappeared when he was escorted out of the airport by armed men he did know. If not for the vigilance of the media, his family and some other concerned groups, perhaps he would have disappeared for good.

This is the predictability of the behavior of Malacañang every time it stands accused of any corruption scandal involving multimillion-pesos of public funds.

Predictably also is Malacañang’s way of dealing with its opponents which is the revival of old and dormant controversial cases supposedly involving the latter? Take for example the grisly murder of high-profile publicist Bubby Dacer and his driver Emmanuel Corbito almost 10 years ago.

If Malacañang resorts to the silencing of witnesses to investigations involving its occupant or any of its high-profile minions through executive order, subornation, if not through threat or intimidation and perhaps even “kidnapping” as in the cases of Mahusay and Lozada, when it comes to its enemies witnesses are conveniently produced against them. This is very clear in the springing up to life of the Dacer-Corbito murders.

Even the naïve will not miss the timing of the revival of this dormant case. Just like in the past, the nation witnessed the revival of controversial cases supposedly involving any of Malacañang foes when the political cauldron is simmering up, the Dacer-Corbito murders included.

In the commission of murder, motive is the guiding element in determining the culprit because the act is pre-meditated, meaning, it is planned to ensure its success because the person with the motive is hell-bent on eliminating the victim no matter what the cost. Now there is this much-talked about affidavit of former police Senior Supt. Cezar Mancao supposedly implicating Sen. Panfilo “Ping” Lacson, a known nemesis of Malacañang, as one of the two brains behind the Dacer-Corbito murder.

Until now, however, this columnist is still looking from the Mancao affidavit for that compelling motive why Lacson would like to see Dacer and Corbito killed. Pray tell if you have found any. The motive supplied by Dacer’s daughter is not so compelling, to say the least, to lead to her father’s murder by Lacson.