What is it about Janet Lim-Napoles that reminds me of the Mafia? Oh, yes, Napoles sounds like Napoli or Naples in Italy, the original turf of The Mob, which subsequently took control of the rackets in such cities as Chicago and New York.
The current showbiz spectacle on the alleged 10 billion peso PDAF scams allegedly engineered by Napoles and allegedly involving allegedly honorable members of the Senate and the House of Representatives underscores the stark similarities between the operations of the mob and the honorable Mafiosi in The Land of the Straight Path. It also highlights the stark difference.
The similarities struck me when I dug up an old item written in the San Francisco Chronicle by Associated Press reporter, Sharon Cohen. The story was about Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich who had been indicted on charges of corruption:
“More than 25 years ago, a visiting small-town judge stashed a tape recorder in his cowboy boots and came away with shocking evidence of bribe-taking and bagmen in Chicago’s courts.
“Former Judge Brocton Lockwood was part of an unprecedented FBI sting operation in the Cook County courts called ‘Operation ‘Greylord’ that uncovered judges, lawyers and clerks taking cash, fixing cases and engaging in other brazen judicial corruption.
“The case is a stark example of the corruption that has become a cottage industry in Illinois and contributed to its long history of scoundrels and scandals. Last week, there was an addition to the list. Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s arrest on charges that he schemed to auction off President-elect Barack Obama’s open Senate seat.”
Cohen wrote further: “What is it about Illinois that seems to breed political corruption, and why hasn’t anyone been able to do anything about it?
“Corruption and graft have become so entrenched over the decades that they’ve become part of the political culture, and experts cite a list of reasons why: Weak state campaign finance laws that have allowed influence peddlers to make big contributions, Lawmakers who don’t always get close scrutiny. A patronage system that makes employees beholden to political bosses. And a jaded public that seems to accept chicanery as the cost of doing business.”
And Cohen delivered one kick on the butt of countries like the Philippines: “In some ways, Illinois kind of reminds you of Third World countries where everyone knows to get things done, you have to bribe someone every step of the way.”
That’s the similarity. The difference is that, even in Illinois, the powerful political bad guys get caught, handcuffed, indicted, thrown out of office and thrown in jail.
In our country, the bad guys get reelected forever to the legislature, the governorships and the presidency. Well, okay, in the Philippines bad presidents also get thrown out of office. But they manage to make a comeback, run for Congress or for president, and members of the family never really relinquish their positions of power.
The similarities go further. Chicago is the only U.S. city I know that showcases a gangster as a tourist attraction. It actually takes pride in Al Capone as part of its history. One is tempted to paraphrase Mon Jimenez’s tourism promotion slogan, “Corruption. It’s more fun in the Philippines.”
Indeed, the Philippines would have been a better haven for Scarface. First of all, Elliot Ness’ Untouchables would have gotten nowhere in our country of Uncatchables. Secondly, Capone could have run for president and won. Is there any other country that almost elected a presidential candidate who had already been convicted, albeit “pardoned,” for plunder? And is there any other country where a successful political campaign can be waged from behind bars (or a hospital-cum-prison)?
If stings and audio recording devices like that used by Judge Brocton Lockwood were to be used in our country, the Senate and the House would yield a treasury of criminal indictments. But don’t hold your breath while waiting for that to happen.
In the US, the FBI can conduct stings that catch political criminals redhanded. And when the U.S. justice system takes over a case, a serious effort to prosecute is actually undertaken. For starters, the offices of “persons of interest” (no matter what their official titles) are taken over by the FBI, files padlocked, computers carted away, bank records extracted, potential witnesses traced and, based on evidence, suspects are arrested and placed behind bars.
What happens in the Philippines is a sick joke. In the first place, anyone who attempts an FBI-style sting will mostly likely end up assassinated – or, if lucky, fired and sent off into hiding.
But the sicker joke (as in Joc-Joc Bolante, remember him?) is that the persons who are widely exposed in the media for corruption or, worse yet, for plunder never get touched and are, in fact, free to wage their own counter-PR campaign to cast the suspicion on the authorities and the whistle-blowers. And don’t even think about laying hands on members of Congress. Any cop or NBI agent who tries that is guaranteed to lose his job or thrown in jail.
As we have begun to see in the current PDAF scandal, the SOP is for the good-cop-bad-cop routine, where someone like Sen. Chiz Escudero calls for a Senate investigation and Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano says it’s better for the DOJ to handle it, and where DOJ Sec. Leila de Lima reports that the NBI is still “carefully gathering evidence,” and where the NBI will take forever to do so, and where the media finally get tired of running headlines on the scandal and the public loses interest, and another scandal erupts, which will hog the headlines.
At any rate, if Escudero’s resolution calling for a Senate investigation where to be followed, what would be the end game? You can expect any of the following scenarios.
One – The Supreme Court gets into the act and grants the alleged scammers the right to observe the Code of Omerta (aka Executive Privilege during the time of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo).Or the high court issues a TRO – a Temporary (semi-permanent) restraining order.
Two – The honorable members of the Senate and the House and the principal suspect let loose their PR operators to apply Supress Relations on breaking news, involve other officials in the allegations plus new ones, and generally, leave the public confused.
Three – The Whistle-blowers end up being threatened with arrest, if not actually, arrested, begin to fear for their lives and, subsequently, develop amnesia, thereby forgetting and denying any earlier revelations concerning the alleged scam.
Four – The case is submitted to Office of the Ombudsman which is a sort of Purgatory where the accused neither goes to heaven nor to hell. She just remains there waiting for either St. Peter of the Devil to make a move.
Five – The case is eventually taken up by the Sandigang Bayan, there to be adjudicated in the near or distant future, take your pick.
Six – The press and the public lose interest, another sensational scandal hits the headlines and another showbiz spectacle begins. And, oh yes, the alleged wrongdoers all go scot-free and enjoy their wealth.
Yes, indeed: Corruption. It’s more fun in the Philippines.
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