COMPARING a Sandiganbayan warrant of arrest to dried-fish wrap (“putos sa buwad”) was interesting sound bite when Gilbert Wagas, former mayor of Compostela, Cebu, described it to news reporters.

Gilbert could’ve politely said the anti-graft court order had lost force since its issue six years ago. Maybe NBI would’ve quietly explained that as bench warrant it had “eternal” life.

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Nothing wrong with telling NBI men cuffing and hauling you to jail that the arrest is illegal, and with the agents explaining the difference between regular warrant and bench warrant.

But dare them to kill you as you “resist” arrest and later flog them before the press? Mortifying.

If lawmen and accused can’t agree, there’s always the court to ask. Which the NBI did: Agents ferried Gilbert to the Sandigan division that found him guilty of malversing P377,000 in public funds. The court told him warrant and arrest were valid and right then sent him to the Muntinlupa penitentiary.

Were Sandigan judges pleased that a convicted accused compared the court’s order to dried-fish wrap? I don’t think so.

Neither were NBI workers tickled pink with the accusation, raised by Gilbert and his brother Compostela Mayor Ritchie, that the Duranos used the agency to pluck out Gilbert from the 2010 political scene.

Snail pace

But consider this: Justice moved at snail pace in trying and convicting Gilbert and was slower still in putting him behind bars.

Thus, shouldn’t we plain folk be stupefied when a day after his arrest the NBI jet-flew him to Manila and the Sandigan promptly locked him up in the big jail?

(paseares@yahoo.com)