Once may be coincidence, but twice?
Will we be saying goodbye to Medy Poblador soon? Surely she will be sum-moned by the Senate for the inquiry on the "Hello Garci" tapes. On Friday when she was tagged by intelligence agent Vidal Doble as the Palace operative who offered him money in exchange for not testifying in previous investigations, her office said she was not in. The next day, the Palace said she was on her own in dipping her hands in the wiretapping scandal.Today, the first working day after Vidal’s testimony, we would not be surprised if no trace of Medy, undersecretary in the office of the press secretary, can be found. She likely could have boarded a commercial flight during the weekend to destinations beyond the reach of Senate process servers.
The Palace men in charge of damage control ought to have learned their lessons after the misadventures of former election commissioner Virgilio Garcillano and former agriculture undersecretary Joc Joc Bolante. Garcillano had to be spirited out via a private jet and could not return for months while the heat was on. He’s now ensconced in his farm in Bukidnon but has to continue living the lie he never went abroad.
Bolante’s case is more complicated. He slipped in and out through the airports despite a warrant of arrest issued by the Senate, presumably with the assistance of immigration officials. His status as a fugitive caught up with him when he landed in Los Angeles. He’s safe for the moment as a guest of Uncle Sam while he is fighting deportation. And even if he is, there are bets his destination of choice will not be Manila.
Bolante. Garcillano. Poblador. Specific examples of the length the Gloria administration would go to block the pursuit of the truth about its cheating, lying and thieving ways.
Those who can’t or are unable to contemplate living abroad, possibly for good, meanwhile, continue to hide under the skirt of executive privilege to evade appearing before legislative inquiries. Former AFP chief of staff Gen. (ret.) Efren Abu and Rear Adm. Tirso Danga, former chief of the Intelligence Service of the AFP, were no-shows Friday as they invoked MC 108.
Why invoke executive privilege when the issue at hand is the illegal wiretapping mounted by uniformed men in the service of the state? And why does Gloria agree to extending her mantle of privilege when the issue is how to ensure that nobody, especially agents of the state, listen to communications among public officials as well as citizens?
What is the message the administration wants to send across? That its people are above the law? The issue has gone beyond cheating, lying and thieving. At stake in the current inquiry is no less than respect and obedience for the law.
