By
Rolo B. Cena
Hushed
Poppies
Dumaguete
Star Informer
10
November 2013
Manila,
Phils
– Controversial businesswoman Janet Lim-Napoles has finally taken the center
stage of the star-studded Plenary Hall of the House of the Senate. Kudos to her social networking cousin turned
irate fan for spilling one of the beans accidentally taken out of the
bullet-proof crypt of the Old, the Sexy and the Handsome, et al. And by et al we mean the couple and their
entourage who got fertilized by the controversial woman of substance, the
commissioners and administrators, the congressmen and the senators both of the
old and the new reign.
Her presence in the inquiry could have
been her chance to narrate her own version of the hullabaloos. Expectedly though, she refused to flip the
other side of the coin. For one, she did
not answer what does her trading firm carry; two, she unwittingly, or maybe
calculatedly, invoked her fundamental right against self-incrimination and;
three, she oftentimes replied “hindi ko po alam” to questions.
The other side of the coin could have
been interesting in the sense that one hundred million Filipino people plus the
entire world have waited for this final moment to see and hear Janet Lim
Napoles deliver her discourses after months of inconsistent and incoherent
media releases in a more fitting and legitimate venue; intriguing in the sense
that the constituents of these politicians could now see and hear how their
leaders would murmur their organic pieces or sing their political nuisances,
and; compelling in the sense that this melo-dama has been trending and topping
ratings in the domestic households.
Wise or otherwise, it would have been a
rare opportunity for all parties involved!
It would have been commercially engaging
if she answered the questions thrown at her during the six or seven hours of
intense hearing sans planned twists and turns.
For one, in aid of legislation, the Senate may be able to extract
resolutions towards process improvements; two, straight from the horse’s mouth,
she could have provided names who really are behind the scam, or; three, negate
what her cousin-turned-whistleblower Benhur alleged.
Arguably though, the alleged conspiracy
that even an ordinary sidewalk vendor can comprehend was becoming observable. Needless to say, her assaulting evasiveness
reinforced the belief of legislators and the one-hundred million Filipinos that
she is indeed the mastermind of the scam.
In addition to this anatomy, the seemingly apparent manipulative competence
of the members of the chambers involved has momentarily become exceptional in
the sense that this anomaly lasted for a decade encompassing at least two
opposing administrative powers.
Her silence is extremely deafening. Its depth is immeasurable, its height
unequalled. It is the same silence that
brings about unexpressed confession and revelation; silence that sporadically
chides wisdom; silence that consistently cheats truth.
Benhur’s memory may have served him
right in his recollection: Napoles plus
Enrile plus Estrada plus Revilla plus Others equals ten. But what happened to the “others” that
formed part of the algebraic expression revealed by the Department of
Justice? Why haven’t they become the
staple of the national dailies, local tabloids, broadcasts, internet, barber
shops and coffee shops? Where have these
nobles gone?
Absolutely, it was a tough balancing act
for her facing these feisty senators while invoking her fundamental right
against self-incrimination vis-à-vis protecting those who have parted the Red
Sea for her P10-billlion glory. Napoles
has to strike the balance, somewhere, right now, whether she likes it or
not. She needs to appear innocent even
if innocence translates to eternal damnation; to be ignorant even if ignorance is
beyond her neurotic comprehension; and more so, to deliver silence, even if
silence means sacrifice.
For the love of TEN BILLION PESOS or
half of it, choose silence of the sacrificial lamb and let it be! After all, they all have the same fur with
the lamb used to save the masters of the game!
