The mysterious Napoles ‘surrender’

September 2, 2013 | Featured, Opinion, PerryScope

PerryScope

By Perry Diaz

“Napoles surrenders to P-Noy,” bannered the newspapers. That’s the best news in weeks of national anxiety. First, there was the extortion scandal that involved Ballsy Aquino-Cruz and Eldon Cruz, the President’s sister and brother-in-law, respectively. Then, there was the exposé on the massive smuggling at the Bureau of Customs. And then, the mother of all scandals: the pork barrel scam that implicated at least 12 senators and more than 180 congressmen to the pork barrel scam ran by Janet Lim-Napoles, a scandal that rocked the government to its foundations. Indeed, never in the past had a corruption scandal of this magnitude been exposed.

For two weeks after several former employees of Napoles blew the whistle on the pork barrel scam, Napoles was on the lam not because of the pork barrel scam that she ran but because of charges of “serious illegal detention” filed against her by whistleblower Benhur Luy. As the government’s key witness against Napoles on the pork barrel scam, Luy is now under the government’s witness protection program.

Manhunt

After the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) sent out trackers in a futile attempt to arrest Napoles and her brother Reynald Lim, Napoles suddenly appeared out of nowhere and surrendered to President Benigno “P-Noy” Aquino III. This led the people to wonder why she surrendered to P-Noy and not to the NBI, the Philippine National Police (PNP) or any other law enforcement agency?

Malacañang’s official version of the chronology of events last August 28 as reported by InterAksyon.com is as follows:

12:37 p.m. - After Aquino announced the P10 million bounty against Napoles, [presidential spokesman Edwin] Lacierda caught on television a statement from Kapunan that her client was willing to surrender. Lacierda called up Kapunan (with whose law firm he used to work, circa 1989-91) to verify the news. Kapunan told him of the threat to Napoles’ life and that her client was willing to surrender only to Aquino. When he asked why, Lacierda said Kapunan supposedly said that the President was the only person her client could trust. Lacierda reported the surrender feeler to Aquino, who replied: “This is just another lead.”

4:06 p.m. - Kapunan called up Lacierda to say that her client was willing to surrender but asked for assurances of security. Lacierda said he “got the sense” that Kapunan was not in direct contact with Napoles. Interior Secretary Manuel Roxas II was ordered to make preparations to secure Napoles. Lacierda said he was told to go to the vicinity of Pasong Tamo to rendezvous with Kapunan.

6:50 p.m. - Lacierda, along with deputy spokesperson Abigail Valte and Undersecretary Manolo Quezon III left the Palace on a vehicle provided by Roxas and escorted by police. Kapunan, who was with Napoles’ brother Jimmy Lim, called up Lacierda to meet at the White Space gallery. Kapunan and Jimmy Lim boarded Lacierda’s vehicle and proceeded to Heritage Park.

8:06 p.m. - Lacierda’s vehicle reached Heritage Park.

9:08 p.m. - Two women approached Lacierda’s vehicle. One of them was Janet Napoles.

9:37 p.m. - The group arrived at the Palace. Napoles was immediately checked by a doctor and then met with Aquino, who was with Executive Secretary Paquito Ochoa Jr., Presidential Communications Development Secretary Ramon Carandang, Roxas, and PNP Director General Alan Purisima. The group talked for 10 minutes, during which Napoles thanked Aquino for her security.

Lacierda said Aquino told his Cabinet officials, “Tutal puyat na tayo, damay-damay na (Since we’re all up late anyway, we might as well see this through),” and then left the Palace ahead of them to go to Camp Crame.

“The President wanted to make sure the area was secured so he went to check the premises” of the PNP headquarters, Lacierda said.

Napoles rode with Lacierda going to Camp Crame, with the other Cabinet officials joining the convoy.

Many questions, few answers

Do I believe Malacañang’s story? Maybe… if I get some answers to a lot of questions. But what I cannot fathom to believe is the participation of P-Noy in Napoles’ surrender? Why would the President of a country get personally involved in a matter of law enforcement? That’s tantamount to debasing the presidency.

Had P-Noy refused to be a party to Napoles’ surrender, do you think Napoles would continue to hide from the law? First of all, her reason for surrendering is she fears for her life. So, it would be unlikely for her to turn around and run. Napoles didn’t really have any other option than surrender.

Evidently, Napoles was in control and called the shots from the time she named the place to meet Lacierda – in a cemetery in the middle of the night — to the time she was escorted to the PNP headquarters, Camp Crame.

Questions that need answers are the following:

1. Why did Napoles insist that she surrender to P-Noy and nobody else? One might argue that P-Noy agreed to personally accept Napoles’ surrender because of what Napoles claimed: there is a threat to her life and she would surrender only to P-Noy, saying that P-Noy is the only person she could trust.

2. What made Napoles think that P-Noy was the only person she could trust? Had there been any past relationship between Napoles and P-Noy that she can entrust her life to him? If they had a relationship before – business or personal — what was it that P-Noy had done to earn her trust?

3. Why did P-Noy drive to Camp Crame alone and ahead of the convoy that brought Napoles to Camp Crame? Lacierda was reported to have said that as Napoles was about to be taken to Camp Crame, P-Noy decided to go with them. But he didn’t join the convoy; instead he went ahead of the convoy that included Napoles, Lacierda, DILG Secretary Mar Roxas, Carandang, and Cabinet Secretary Rene Almendras. Lacierda said that the reason P-Noy went ahead of the convoy was “to make sure that the place was secure so he went to inspect the premises himself.” But doesn’t P-Noy know that Camp Crame is the PNP’s national headquarters and is more secure than any place else?

It seems that for every question answered, more questions are raised. And this fueled a lot of speculation and conspiracy theories on Napoles’ mysterious “surrender.”

Abolish the pork

Conspiracy theories or not, the circumstances of Napoles’ surrender bring to the forefront of debate how Napoles was able to avoid scrutiny for 10 years spinning a web of corruption that involved senators and congressmen, and, who knows, members of the President’s official family. And who knows, Napoles might start singing like a canary.

Indeed, the mysterious Napoles “surrender” could be the game changer in the fight against institutionalized corruption. Let’s begin with the abolition of the pork barrel system including the P1.5-trillion presidential pork barrel. It breeds corruption and the people want to do away with it.

Mr. President, it’s time to listen to your “bosses,” the people.

(PerryDiaz@gmail.com)