Since Napoles wants special treatment, this should be extended to her prosecution. Not just in the case of serious illegal detention filed by her relative, for which she has been arrested and is being held without bail, but especially for the accusation that she helped divert billions of pesos from the congressional pork barrel to bogus non-government organizations.
There are several witnesses in the pork barrel scandal and a paper trail has been put together by the Commission on Audit. These should ensure that the case will not become bogged down in the usual glacial pace of Philippine justice, as we are seeing in the ZTE broadband and Maguindanao massacre cases. Based on the COA documents, indictments against Napoles and her alleged cohorts in Congress can be filed ASAP without waiting for senators to finish their probe.
Lawmakers know exactly how the pork barrel system works, and the President has already announced the reforms he intends to carry out to make the budget process transparent and resistant to fund juggling. Lawmakers should not wait to be dragged screaming and kicking toward reforms in their fund utilization.
Filipinos have manifested the desire for sweeping reforms to ensure the judicious utilization of public funds. Those reforms can take root if guilt is established and punishment is imposed on those who misused the people’s money and betrayed public trust. Napoles’ case deserves special treatment, through the speedy administration of justice.
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Topic: Special treatment (Read 553 times)